


Dead Souls Living

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Dead Souls Living: Text and Supplementals [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Depression, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Fake Character Death, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Surveillance State, Trauma, Unethical Experimentation, Vigilantism, Wrongful Imprisonment, suicide ideation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24937486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Once accepted into Beacon Academy, Ruby never thought anything could get in the way of her training to become a Huntress.  Then mysterious forces attacked, Beacon fell, and she wakes up to find the Atlas Military has kidnapped her (and declared her dead to the world) under the guise of keeping her and her silver eyes safe.Now Ruby, alongside Penny, who is similarly assumed-dead-but-not-really by the world, fights to define what it means to have legendary magical powers and protect Atlas and Mantle from the forces, both inside and out, that could destroy them, and all of Remnant.
Relationships: Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Series: Dead Souls Living: Text and Supplementals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075493
Comments: 134
Kudos: 193





	1. Experiment 201

Overhead, fluorescent lights flicker and buzz on.Ruby groans.She pulls her thin, stiff pillow over her head.Not that it’s good for much of anything, least of all blocking out noise, but she can _pretend_ it’ll help.Her headache from yesterday lingers.A dull, pulsing throb behind her eyes that reminds her there’ll be more pain today.

The door hisses open.Footsteps enter the room, then stop.Ruby can feel the shadow over her.She doesn’t turn around to look.Not yet.

“It’s time to get up, Ms. Rose,” the same words always greet her in the ‘mornings’.

There are no windows here, so it’s impossible for Ruby to actually know what time of day it is.They turn off the fluorescent lights of her room for ‘night’ and turn them back on roughly eight hours later, so lights on is really the closest to ‘morning’ she has.

Ruby inhales a deep breath.This time.This time it’ll work.

She calls upon her semblance.

Red rose petals burst into being, drowning the stark whiteness of the walls in saturated color.They separate into three clusters, fly around the exasperated scientist, and shoot through the door.

All Ruby has to do it make it down the hallway, turn left, get through the next corridor, arrive at the stairs, and race down them until she’s at the door that’ll take her outside.Then, _then_ she’ll finally be free.

When Ruby reaches the left turn, the shot catches her.An electrified energy blast—they won’t risk using actual bullets on her, they don’t want her _injured_ —hits Ruby square between the shoulders.She yelps, falls forward, hits the floor hard, and groans.Her aura flickers, but doesn’t break.

Footsteps echo down the hallway until they reach Ruby.Their owner sighs in dramatic fashion.“You know, you’re just making things harder on yourself.”He squats down next to Ruby, takes hold of her hair, and pulls her head up so she’s forced to look at him.“I thought you _wanted_ to improve the world?That was your reason for attending an huntsman academy, was it not?”

Ruby glares, but doesn’t reply.

“Very well.”Dr. Watts stands up, pulling Ruby along with him.He keeps one hand pressed firmly to her shoulder and guides her back down the hall.“Come along.The General has scheduled quite a number of new tests for today.”

They stop back at Ruby’s room, where she’s allowed to change out of her night clothes into a standard issue, Atlas cadet training uniform.Sometime before she woke up here for the first time, they’d taken Ruby’s own combat gear from her and hadn’t given it back since.Ruby asked for it, and Crescent Rose too, in the beginning, but after enough times of being told she’d be provided with everything she would need, she gave up.They were, annoyingly, too smart to give her anything that may help her get out of the facility.

Ruby rolls her shoulders, trying to ease away the remaining ache from where she was shot, and doesn’t quite manage it.She drags her feet on the short walk to the private training room.She doesn’t want to do this.She wishes she didn’t have to do this.

The first few times, training wasn’t too difficult.The hardest part had been adjusting to using the standard bladed rifle she was allowed access to only under careful supervision.Ruby’s opponents had been automated turrets and robots.Even with as little previous training as she had, they weren’t hard to take down.Something that would have been fine, Ruby realized too late, only if Dr. Watts and the General were interested in seeing her combat skills improve.

No, what they want from her is much different.

She sighs upon seeing the room full of Grimm.

“Let’s see if you can use that superpower of yours today, hmm?”Dr. Watts smirks at Ruby.Sometimes, she wonders if he genuinely believes her silver eyes give her a special power against the Grimm, or if he’s just going along with the General because he enjoys messing with her.Ruby doesn’t know.She’s never asked.She’s not sure she believes her eyes are all that special herself.

At least not until she remembers what happened at the top of Beacon Tower.

_Don’t think about it.Don’t think about it.Don’t think about it._

Ruby charges at the first Grimm, an ursa, in the training room.It’s easier to fight than to let her mind go _there_.The last night she was free before this place.

Beacon.

The White Fang and Grimm in the school.Roman Torchwick.Yang, with one arm gone.The call from Jaune.Racing to the tower.Then…

Pyrrha.

Ruby trips and stumbles.The ursa roars.It slashes out with a paw twice the size of Ruby’s head.She braces for a blow that doesn’t come.Ruby looks up.

Standing between her and the ursa, holding it off, is someone who’s supposed to be _dead_.Ruby stares.She doesn’t understand.How can…?

Penny turns, glances at the person she’s defending.Her eyes go wide too, as if she can’t believe what she’s seeing as well.

The ursa senses its opening.It breaks free of Penny’s hold and slams its paws into the floor, shattering the surface.It rears up.

Ruby watches, in slow motion, as the ursa’s claws close in on Penny’s head.She hears herself scream and only realizes that the sound is her a moment afterwards.

Blinding light floods out from Ruby.The Grimm disintegrates.Ruby’s ears ring.Her head pounds.Everything _hurts_.She falls to her knees.She feels cool, gentle hands grip her shoulders.

“Ruby?You—you can’t be—you’re _dead_.You died at Beacon.I don’t understand…Ruby?”

Ruby wants to respond, to say something, but the world is spinning.The last thing Ruby hears, before falling unconscious and collapsing into Penny’s arms, is Dr. Watt’s approaching voice.

“Experiment 201 is a success.Confirmed silver eye activation.Begin preparations for the next phase.”


	2. Best Interests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get your angst here! Steaming hot heaps of angst here!

It rained the day Pietro took Penny to see the Beacon Memorial.Later, she remembered the heavy sound of raindrops hitting her umbrella, the chilled temperature of the umbrella’s handle, the way her father shivered.She worried, hadn’t wanted Pietro to stay outside in the cold too long, but he insisted on being with her.Her father didn’t want her to be alone.Not there.

Despite her concerns about Pietro falling ill, Penny appreciated the company.If she were being completely honest, she didn’t want to be at the Memorial alone either.She was glad for Pietro’s reassuring hand on her shoulder as she read through the list of names, silently mouthing out each one when she came to it.Fallen students, faculty, citizens of Vale, all who had fought valiantly to protect their home.All gone.Forever.

Her name should have been on the list.It wasn’t.Pietro explained that Ironwood wanted to see if she could be rebuilt first, and, if not, Penny would have gotten her own memorial.Since she didn’t die protecting Beacon, but was murdered in the combat arena.Somehow that warranted Penny her own special memorial.

She still wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Every panel, nut, and bolt in Penny’s body seemed to tighten with pain when she came to what she thought would be the hardest name on the list to read.

Pyrrha Nikos. 

Upon her reactivation, Pyrrha had been who Penny wanted to talk to the most.To tell Pyrrha it wasn’t her fault, to show her that Penny herself was actually fine now.To…

Penny had once hoped she and Pyrrha could be friends. 

The pain of knowing now she’d never, ever, get the chance to befriend Pyrrha, to reassure the kind girl that she hadn’t been responsible for Penny’s death, Penny would say it made her feel numb, if she _had_ the capacity to feel numbness.But she didn’t have a true nervous system.Her operating systems just registered the increasing coldness of her exterior surface temperature and sent her progressively urgent alerts until she remembered to adjust her personal heating accordingly.

Penny didn’t think it was possible for her to feel any worse.Then, she got to a name lower down on the list.One she hadn’t realized she’d been hoping she wouldn’t see there.One she firmly believed she wouldn’t see there.Because, because…

Because Ruby was Ruby, and she was smart, and good, and wielded a _scythe_ , and there was no way _her_ name would be on the list.Except it was.

Ruby Rose, engraved on a memorial for those who fell with Beacon.

Ruby Rose, her first true friend.

Ruby Rose, who was dead.

Penny didn’t remember falling to her knees, but she remembered the next few days, when they had to replace her brand new legs, which had rusted after being submerged in deep puddles.

* * *

Ruby gasps in her sleep.Penny straightens.Her gaze goes over Ruby, the monitoring machines she’s hooked up to, and back.Only after Penny sees Ruby inhale and exhale a few more times does she relax.

Penny twists her hands in her lap.She’s wrinkling her gloves and she knows she shouldn’t, but all her energy has to go _somewhere_.And it’s not like she can move.If she leaves her post at Ruby’s side, then…

Well nothing will probably happen, but Penny refuses to risk it.Ruby is _alive_.She’s _here_.Why she’s here, in Atlas, with Penny, is still a bit confusing, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s not dead.

Penny won’t leave her.

Dr. Watts walks into the room.He notes Penny’s presence.The smallest of frowns appears on his face.Then, he turns his attention away from Penny, as if dismissing her.She tries not to think anything of it.

Penny watches Dr. Watts pull out a couple things from his lap coat and place them on the bedside table next to Ruby.When he turns his attention to Ruby, she stiffens.It’s not that Penny _doesn’t_ trust Dr. Watts.He’s one of her father’s colleagues, and one of his friends (although their friendship has always struck Penny as something much different than her own friendship with Ruby, but she’s chalked that up to her lack of experience with truly varied relationships).It’s just that…

Nothing feels good about this whole situation.

Why had Atlas reported Ruby was a casualty of battle if they know she’s alive and well?

“What are you doing?”Penny asks Dr. Watts.The way he’s disinfecting Ruby’s arm with alcohol swabs and the nearby readied syringe tell her a lot already, but don’t _explain_ anything.

“Just taking a blood sample,” Dr. Watts answers without looking up.Expertly, he uncaps the syringe and gets to work.“Nothing to worry yourself about.”

“Why?”

Dr. Watts sighs.“I’d assume a smart girl like yourself would understand when one needs more scientific data, they have to take samples.”

Penny stands up.She really doesn’t like this.She really, _really_ doesn’t like this.“Why do you need samples from Ruby?I…” she pauses.“I don’t understand.Shouldn’t she be back home, with her family?Surely they’d want her to be with them?”

Penny knows Yang, at least, would want to be with her sister, and know she’s safe.Penny isn’t as close with Yang as she is Ruby herself, but she’s witnessed how close the two of them are to each other.And they way Ruby always spoke of her father, Taiyang, reminded Penny of her own relationship with her loving father.

Pietro had tried to hide how distraught he’d been over Penny’s ‘death’ from her, but Penny picked up on his cues anyway.Surely, if Ruby’s father thought _she_ were dead, then…

“Why is Ruby here?”The question comes out more quiet and hesitant than Penny intended, but she’s not quite confident that the answer will be a good one.

Dr. Watts doesn’t reply.He secures his blood sample.He studies his remaining tools, as if considering what to do next.Only when he seems to feel Penny’s gaze boring into him does he look at her.He huffs.

“If you must know, young Ms. Rose is helping our research.She has a crucial attribute that will allow us to advance our weaponry technology tenfold.“

“Okay.”That sort of makes sense to Penny.After all, she herself is a military project to advance kingdom defenses.But still.Penny’s situation and this one seem very… _different_.“But why tell everyone she’s dead?”

“For Ms. Rose’s own protection.There are those who would seek her out and destroy her if they knew what she’s capable of.General Ironwood determined it would be in her best interests if the world was unaware of her current condition and location.”Dr. Watts gazes at Penny.“A secret, you, surely, will be able to keep.Or do you want your friend to be in danger?”

“No.I don’t want Ruby to be hurt.”

“Good.Then tell no one, _including your father_ , about her presence here.If the secret were to get out, it would put Ms. Rose in critical peril.”Dr. Watts walks over to Penny and places his hand on her shoulder.“I know I haven’t come across as friendly to you as your father and my other colleagues, but I assure you, I have Ms. Rose’s best interests at heart. _Trust_ me.”He removes his hand and steps back.“Or, if you find you cannot do that, trust Mr. Ironwood.You do trust our general, don’t you?”

“Of—of course!I just thought that—“

“Ah-ah.”Watts interrupts Penny.“You know how things work here.We only have clearance to as much information as we need to complete our jobs, remember?I don’t have access to many of your father’s projects and neither does he to mine.I brought you in today because the general and I agreed a familiar face could have been beneficial in helping Ms. Rose reach our next target goal.You performed perfectly.”Watts stops and fixes Penny with what could be considered a calculated look.“I allowed you to stay while she recovers as a courtesy.Nothing more.We are doing important work here.If you jeopardize this project, I will not be able to allow you access to come back.Understand?”

“I...yes, I understand.”Penny’s eyes turn downcast.Nothing about this feels right, but she understands the necessity of confidentiality.It’s dictated how almost her entire life has gone.“Can I stay until Ruby wakes up?”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”


	3. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one will probably hurt
> 
> a lot
> 
> also, random sidenote, but I've decided the chapters will change between Ruby, Penny, and Watts's perspectives, in that order. So next time we'll get to return to Ruby's POV.

Watts’s office is sparsely decorated and seldom used.It’s mostly for show, really.Every Atlas Military personnel at his level is granted an office upon employment and it would raise eyebrows if he rejected his.So, he maintains the office.Keeping carefully constructed files full of insignificant things for the average snoop on his computer and maintaining an appearance of use when, really, he never stores anything of importance there for very long.

The only exception to this rule is an elegantly-crafted, theater prop dagger.The story Watts will tell when the rare colleague drops by is his brother was once involved in the theater, the prop dagger was from his first show, and since he was killed by Grimm, Watts keeps the prop as a way to remember him.

Of course, this is all a fabrication.The dagger is very much real, and full of scorpion venom courtesy of one of Watts’s undisclosed associates.Anyone who doesn’t hold it the proper way will immediately be poisoned, become paralyzed, and die within a matter of hours.Watts first considered keeping it out on his desk, just to see who would actually _try_ , and then decided having dead bodies show up in his office would be an inconvenient hassle he’d much prefer not to have.The dagger is kept in a glass case that will only open with a biometric scan from himself.

Two of Watts’s colleagues, Dr. Polendina and Mr. Scarlatina, once found it odd that he didn’t keep _anything_ personal in his office.Both of them had pictures of their families displaced proudly on their desks (although Watts scoffed at the idea that Pietro considered his abominable creation his _daughter_ ).To ‘fit in’ and remain out of their suspicions, Watts had to come up with something.The dagger was his answer.It was simply an added bonus that it could be used to kill if necessary.

Watts takes out his current scroll (for security purposes he cycles through devices regularly), and connects it to his computer.He brings up the lab results from the bio samples of his subject he sent to his biology interns.As much as he would like to do everything related to Project Silver himself, he is capable of admitting when he doesn’t have the expertise required.Watts knows a significant amount about the human body, but the level of analysis required here is _slightly_ beyond what he can reasonably do.

That and he doesn’t have time to go looking for a needle in a haystack, especially when the needle potentially doesn’t exist at all.Which, looking at the reports before him, it doesn’t.

Watts strokes his mustache.So, there is no biologic indicator that separates a silver-eyed person from someone else.In a DNA test, their eye color trait appears exactly the same as a non-magical, gray-eyed person.

He and his associates could, theoretically, hunt down gray-eyed people everywhere, but that would take a significant amount of time and resources, which would all be wasted if the person in question didn’t actually have the powers.

What Watts would _give_ to have young Mercury for his project, as a control to compare his subject to.But Mercury is one of Cinder’s and so long as Cinder is Salem’s _favorite_.Well, he’ll just have to make do with what he has.

Watts’ eyes wander to his surveillance app.He clicks it open to the feed of his subject.She’s resting on the bed at the moment, with her back to the hidden camera in her room.He can’t tell whether or not she’s asleep, but it hardly matters to him.The important thing is she’s remained secure.There is still much he has to find out and she’s the key to it all.

Still, it irks him, that there’s apparently no ‘silver-eyed gene’ that could be easily tracked, and potentially eliminated even before birth.His subject and her mother prove that silver eyes _can_ be passed down from parent to child.It follows then that the gene could be isolated, and destroyed.But, it doesn’t appear on any tests.Thus, no way of doing that exists or could ever exist.At least not until a person unlocks their powers for the first time.Publicly.In such a way that they could receive notice and dispatch either Tyrian or Hazel.

Watts closes the video feed.He’ll be back with his subject tomorrow.He felt it wise to give her a couple days of rest after the successful experiment.He doesn’t want to strain her too much.It can’t hurt to let her simmer in isolation after seeing a familiar, friendly face, however briefly, either.

He opens a fresh document.Now, for his reports.One to Ironwood, to assure the general he is indeed making progress towards manipulating the power of the silver eyes, and one to Salem, to assuage her that he hasn’t learned all he can and it’s time to shut down the project and bring the girl to Evernight.

Watts’s eyes meander back over to his dagger.Not that he’s actually going to _do_ that.No, Watts isn’t going to let Cinder have the honor of killing young Ms. Rose.After all the trouble he’s gone through, her blood is his to spill and his alone.Watts smirks to himself.When he’s through and has all the information he needs, he’ll see to his subject’s end.He’ll make it quick.He owes her that much.She has learned to be quieter and protest less these past few weeks, after all.

Salem will forgive him for disobeying one small order.After all, he has so many more uses.Where else is she going to get someone with his capabilities?

A notification pops up on his desktop, drawing Watts’s attention.He clicks it open.He sighs.“Sentimental idiot,” Watts mutters to himself.He gets up, disconnects his scroll, and leaves the office.

It takes Watts five minutes to reach the restricted-access research building where he works on his project.It takes another fifteen, most spent riding an elevator to the right floor, for him to reach his subject’s room.Without hesitation, he turns the door handle and enters.

“General,” Watts greets the intrusive visitor first.He spares a brief look at his subject, who’s looking much put upon having to deal with Ironwood, and determines he can ignore her.“I wasn’t expecting you until the next experiment.”

At that last word, every muscle in the girl’s body tenses.Her eyes dart between the two men and the door.Watts pointedly sidesteps to block her route out and shoots her a glare.She curls up, almost into a ball, in such a way that she doesn’t have to look at them.

“My meeting with the council was cancelled at the last minute,” Ironwood speaks, oblivious to the interaction that just happened or just not showing any outward reactions to it.“Since I had some time and I saw on the schedule you had nothing planned for Ruby today, I thought she could use some company.Would you like to join us?”He gestures to the board game he’s laid out on the floor between himself and Ms. Rose.It’s the one where you play as the four kingdoms of Remnant and try to conquer each other.

Watts considers.He’d prefer not to, but the faster the game ends, the faster Ironwood will leave and his subject will return to her isolation.“Very well.”He sits down, choosing to ignore the dismayed expression on Ms. Rose’s face.

Ruby wins the game, because Ironwood lets her and, when Watts caught on to what he was doing, he switched strategies from ‘winning swiftly’ to ‘getting her to win swiftly’.

* * *

Approximately seven months prior to one of the fastest played, if not the fastest ever played, game of Remnant: the Game, an Atlesian airship touches down on the quiet island of Patch.Its engine’s hum dies down and its pilot gives his passenger the all-clear to disembark.

Ironwood steps down onto soft grass.He takes in his surroundings.Nearby, he can hear birds singing and children running and laughing.He inhales a deep breath, glad for the fresh air after hours sitting in an airtight ship.He waits for the Atlesian Knight he brought with him to climb down from the ship and unload the package they’re escorting, and then sets off.

It’s a pleasant day for a walk.Ironwood would have considered going at at leisurely pace if not for the fact that the warm temperature would make his prosthetics overheat sooner rather than later.

Just one of the reasons he prefers the cold of Atlas.

He doesn’t have to be doing this himself.He has every reason _not_ to be doing this himself.Atlas, especially now, needs him there to lead.Taking a trip like this is, as Winter very strongly put it, _absurd_.Ironwood understands that.Really, he does.But, he also knows something Winter doesn’t have the proper clearance for.

The least he can do is give the situation a personal touch, all things considered.

Ironwood stops in front of his destination and knocks on the door.It takes a couple minutes for someone to come answer.The man who does has noticeable bags under his eyes and a haunted expression on his face.He stares at Ironwood as if his brain needs time to catch up and register that a person has come to visit him.

By the time it occurs to Ironwood that he should say something, Qrow Branwen arrives from somewhere inside.

“I got this, Tai,” Qrow tells the man gently.When Taiyang leaves them, shuffling off to some unknown destination, he frowns.“Not that I don’t appreciate the visit, James, but what’re you doing here?Patch is pretty far from Atlas last I checked.”

“I wanted to escort this home myself.”Ironwood gestures the Atlesian Knight to come forward and hold out the package they brought for Qrow to open.“It was among what we recovered from that night, the Fall.Originally, my men assumed it belonged to one of our students.”A well-rehearsed lie, but one Ironwood considered believable enough.“When we found out whose weapon it was…I wanted it to be secure on its return home.”And that it wouldn’t somehow make it back into its owner’s hands, where she could use it to escape.

Qrow opens the box.He blinks.One trembling hand reaches out, hesitates, and then grasps Crescent Rose.He lifts the scythe, carefully stowed in sniper rifle mode, out of its travel box.He holds it, stares at it.Qrow almost says something, but the words get suffocated in this throat by a sob.

“I’m…” Qrow’s shoulders rise and fall with the breath he takes.“Thanks for bringing her home.”

Ironwood puts a reassuring hand on Qrow’s shoulder.He gives him a gentle squeeze.“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

It’s the truth.He wishes things didn’t have to be like this, but they have a chance to truly figure out something that could work against Salem.Even if it hurts those he cares about, Ironwood can’t pass up the opportunity.

After Qrow closes the door, Ironwood straightens his back and leaves.He does need to be getting back, for Atlas, of course, and because he’d cleared Watts to begin the experimenting stage of ‘Project Silver’ upon his return.


	4. Defiance

Moonlight shines in through the glass ceiling of the Atlas Academy dormitory.A cleaning droid idly passes through the hallway, polishing the floor as it goes.Only once it’s gone does one of the dorm room doors open.A head peaks out, checks both ways, and then once she’s fairly certain there’s no one else there, Weiss tiptoes out of her (now former) room.She shuts the door with a click, and breathes in relief.The last thing she wants to do is explain to the other members of Team WITE (white) why she, their leader, is abandoning them.

Yes, Weiss appreciated having the opportunity to continue her education toward becoming a Huntress after the Fall of Beacon.She _was_ honored when Ironwood named her leader of her own team.It was everything she ever wanted.Or had wanted.Before Beacon.

Before Ruby.

Weiss would be the first to admit she hadn’t been thrilled when she’d been partnered with Ruby, and then the immature girl was named leader of their team, but she’d also be the first to admit she’d _adjusted_.Ruby was energetic.She had a tendency to babble.She was, if anything, chaos incarnate.

She had been, though Weiss would forever be careful who she mentioned this out loud to, the perfect partner. 

Ruby was fun.She made Weiss smile.She had the utterly absurd idea to create hazardous bunkbeds.The Atlas dorm actual bunkbeds, though they didn’t come with the added benefit of Weiss wondering if the bed above her would fall on her in the middle of the night, paled in comparison.

And now, she’s gone.

Weiss sighs.Not for the first time, she tries to figure out if there was something she could have done differently that night.Some way she could have gone up to the top of Beacon Tower _with_ Ruby, instead of sending her up alone.Could she have protected her?Saved her from whatever the killing blow was?

After she’d seen a blinding flash (which, even now, Weiss still doesn’t know what that _was_ ) and Ruby failed to come down from the tower, Weiss called for help on the open emergency frequency.She’d seen an Atlas medical ship arrive at the top of the tower, and then fly away.She’d rushed back to the evacuation zone.

Only to be told Ruby had died.

Weiss sent Ruby up the tower to save Pyrrha.And they both perished.

Where did that leave her now?

Weiss had enrolled at Atlas because she found being in her family’s manor suffocating, and it _was_ a way to continue pursuing becoming a Huntress.Yet, as the weeks dragged on into months, she found herself increasingly restless.Somewhere out there, in the world, was the person responsible for the attack on Beacon.For Pyrrha’s death.For Ruby’s death.Weiss couldn’t just stay here, doing _nothing_ , while they thought they’d been able to successfully get away with it. 

For the first time in her life, she truly used the political clout of the SDC.Weiss gained access to confidential files from Atlas’s investigation of the Fall.She learned the main conspirators came from Haven Academy in Mistral.It wasn’t much to go on, but if she could get there, Weiss thought, maybe she could learn more.

It’s what Ruby would have done.

Weiss turns, takes a deep breath, and starts down the hallway.

“Really?Leaving with no goodbye?I actually expected better of you, Schnee.”

Weiss jumps.She nearly yelps, but she clamps her hand over her mouth to stop noise from escaping.Surprise turns to irritation when she sees who stopped her.“ _Ilia_!What are you doing?!”Weiss hisses.

From her position nonchalantly leaned against the wall, Ilia Amitola shrugs.“Just wondering what my team leader is doing out of bed at this hour.”She sets Weiss with a hard look.“You weren’t _planning_ to leave me alone with those two?”Ilia jerks her thumb back at their door, where their teammates sleep on, oblivious.“That’s a low blow, even for you.”

“It’s nothing personal.I just…” Weiss exhales.“I can’t stay here anymore.I can’t go to class and pretend _nothing’s_ _happening_.The people who are responsible for Beacon are out there and—“

“You want to stop them,” Ilia finishes for her.

Weiss tries to hold back her wince.Whether or not Ilia is still affiliated with the White Fang is something she’s wondered since Ilia first dropped hints that she’d been part of the organization.She refuses to hold it against Ilia (she’s not Weiss’s first teammate who had past associations with them, after all), but it does add a level of wariness to their relationship.“Look—“

“I don’t support what the White Fang did at Beacon,” Ilia puts a hand up to stop Weiss.“I…I want justice for the Faunus, but that wasn’t it.”She hesitates.“I’m going with you.I hate being here.I hate hiding.I know it’s what my parents wanted for me, but I can’t stay and do nothing either.”Fierceness enters her gaze.“So, I am going to find out why they joined the attack on Beacon.And since you seem to be headed in the same direction and, as a Schnee, have _way_ more resources than me…” Ilia lets Weiss finish the thought for herself.

“Once I leave Atlas, I’m not going to have access to _any_ of those resources.”Weiss crosses her arms.

“Just accept that I’m coming with you already.”Ilia playfully punches Weiss’s arm.Then, in a quieter voice, she adds, “We’ve both already lost loved ones.I don’t think either of us want to lose anyone else.”

Weiss can’t argue there.

* * *

There’s a girl in the mirror running a brush through Ruby’s hair.She’s a few months shy of a year older than Ruby really recognizes.Her hair, without being cut or maintained, falls just past her shoulders.Its red tips, under the harsh, bright light of the facility’s fluorescent bulbs, stand out more than they would otherwise.Like blood streaming out of her in rivers.

Sometimes Ruby will glance up and, for a moment, her and the girl’s silver eyes will meet.Their breath will catch in their throat.Their eyes will quickly turn downcast again.Anywhere but facing reality.Themselves.

At first, Ruby didn’t think she’d be here long enough to feel herself slowly change.Surely, she believed, Ironwood would come to his senses and realize just how _wrong_ keeping her captive like this is.He always seemed rational.Nice, if a little stern.When he came to tell Team RWBY they were disqualified from the Vytal Tournament after Yang’s disastrous match against Mercury, he hadn’t been _cruel_ about it.Just a little harsh, but that kinda made sense all things considered.

Now, Ruby doesn’t know what to think.

She’s been getting older.If she were still outside, she’d probably be learning how to drive properly by now (technically she already _knows_ how to, it’s just sort of not legal for her to actually _do so_ until she’s sixteen).

Will she ever get out of this facility?Or will she grow old here?Will she ever see Yang again?Dad?Weiss?Blake?

When was the last time she saw the sky?

Ruby sighs.She places her hands on the cool sink.She blinks away the tears welling in her eyes.She wants to go home.She really wants to go home.She wants to hug her dad and laugh with her sister.She wants to sleep in her own comfy bed and give Zwei tummy rubs.

No matter what she does, she can’t escape.Using her semblance gets her shot.She can’t outrun Watts _and_ all the Atlesian Knights he has at his disposal to stop her.Crescent Rose is gone.She doesn’t have access to another weapon long enough that she could turn it against her captors.Watts generally watches the ‘experiments’ from an observation room separated from the training room by thick, impenetrable glass anyway.

There’s Penny, but Ruby hasn’t seen her since that once brief time.She’s not sure she actually believes Penny was there or if she, in her desperation for a familiar, friendly face, imagined her.

Ruby squeezes her eyes shut.She needs to focus.It hurts, constantly, but she needs to think.There has to be _something_ she hasn’t tried yet.She can’t give up.She _won’t_.Ruby takes a deep breath.If she takes much more time in the bathroom, Watts will begin to wonder what’s keeping her and investigate.Then, he’ll punish her.

Ruby lets out a sharp laugh.There’s not much more he can do to her.He’s already separated her from everyone she loves (and has told them she’s _dead_ ).He forces her through a training regiment she hates each day.Anything she could use to express herself has long been taken from her with no hope of return.Every second of her life is kept to a suffocatingly tight schedule.What else is there?

The idea occurs to Ruby.She opens her eyes, meets her reflection’s unwavering gaze.It’s…it’s _insane_.

It might work.

After all, they can’t let her die.

She leaves the bathroom and allows her Atlesian Knight escort to take her to the training room.

For the first time in a while, Ruby is calm when she steps into the room.Since he didn’t personally escort her there today, Watts is already up in his observation room.Ruby looks up at him.Watts gazes coolly back.

After a moment of nothing happening, Watts presses a button and speaks into a microphone.His voice carries over the training room, “You may begin any time, Ms. Rose.”

“No.”Ruby’s voice sounds foreign to her.How long has it been since she last talked?Not knowing the answer to the question scares her.She buries the feeling deep down.Not now.She can deal with that later.When she’s not surrounded by Grimm who are beginning to notice her.

“What was that?”Watts’s voice is sharper this time.

“I said, ‘no’.”Ruby tries to keep her trembling out of her voice.“I’m not doing this anymore.I won’t fight.”

The way Ruby sees it, there are two options here.Either she’s about to be ripped apart by a room full of Grimm or Watts will put a stop to this.Since he needs her alive to learn about her silver eyes, she’s sort of banking on the second option happening.

The first Grimm steps closer.Ruby tries to act like it doesn’t faze her.She keeps her eyes steady on Watts.

“I suggest you do as you’re told,” Watts addresses her, his voice shaking with suppressed anger.“Or do you want to truly see what happens when you don’t fight back against the Grimm?”

Ruby drops her bladed rifle to the floor.She kicks it away.“You’re the one who needs me alive to do your experiments.”Her gaze turns to a glare.

For the record, Ruby does not actually want to die here.Not in this room.Not like this.But it’s been months and she wants this to end.She’s going to _make_ it end.One way or another.She can hear a beowolf growling somewhere close behind her.It takes all her willpower not to turn around and face it.She closes her eyes and listens to the increasingly rapid beating of her heart.

The sound of the training room’s laser turrets activating and firing becomes the most relieving sound Ruby has ever heard.She cracks an eye open to see the Grimm being shot and turned to dust around her.Ruby exhales the breath she’s been holding in.

Then, once all the Grimm are gone, the laser turrets change targets.Ruby only has time for a moment of realization before the first shot slams into her chest.The world blurs.Ruby slams into a wall she was nowhere near.She groans once before her breath is completely stolen.The shots keep coming.Between the bursts of pain, Ruby watches her aura flicker over and over again until it breaks.Her body falls limply to the floor.Everything hurts.So much.

Watts’s footsteps precede him.“You do realize it would have been better for you if you’d just done what you were ordered?”He kicks her in the gut.Hard.“Perhaps this’ll make you think twice about pulling a stunt like that again.”

“That’s _enough_ , Watts!”Ironwood’s voice thunders from above.His equally thunderous footsteps ring in Ruby’s ears.“There were better ways to handle the situation.Resorting to violence like that should have been your last resort. _At best_.”

Watts scoffs.“I merely showed her what happens when she refuses to comply.”

“We’ll discuss this matter more in private.For now, I’m delaying all further experiments until Ruby has recovered her aura _and_ I’m convinced that you won’t act in such a way again.Remember, I can take you off this project if I think you’re unfit to run it.”Ironwood turns away from Watts, so he misses the hard glare the scientist shoots at his back.“Get Ruby back to her room,” he orders a few Atlesian Knights.“Monitor her aura while she recovers.”He pauses.“And summon Penny.I believe Ruby has earned some time with a friend.”

Ruby feels herself being lifted up and placed on a stretcher.The world spins, and then fades into darkness as she’s carried back to her prison.

* * *

Ruby’s door open.Light floods into the room.She cringes.Her aura has recovered some, but her body aches all over.She doesn’t want things to get worse.Can’t they just leave her alone?Just for now?A little bit?She’ll do what they want _later_.

“Ruby?”The familiar, yet impossible voice, kindly whispers to her.

She doesn’t respond.It’s either her mind making things up or some cruel, twisted joke played by Watts and Ironwood.Just another experiment.Maybe if she forces herself to sleep, it’ll go away.

“Ruby?”Penny repeats, stepping further into the room.There’s a tone of fear in her voice now that seems too real to be part of a fabrication.“What happened?”

Ruby gives up.Even if Penny isn’t really there, she wants her so badly to be.She flings herself into Penny’s arms in a desperate bid for comfort and cries into her shoulder.

Penny wraps her arms tightly Ruby in return.“Oh, Ruby,” she says softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I'm going to be structuring chapters from here on out as split between two scenes like this. There'll be the 'main' scene, with either Ruby, Penny, or Watts, which covers the core story arc, and a secondary scene which supplements that with more information (either in flashback form, like when Ironwood went to Patch, or as a scene that's just going on elsewhere, like this one with Weiss and Ilia).
> 
> I don't want to shift the focus away from what's happening in Atlas too much, but I also have ideas for what's going on with the rest of _WBY and how the Mistral Arc happens without Ruby. I originally considered just leaving all that stuff out until the eventual future point where it would really come into play, but I've decided to try and sprinkle it in instead. Like we won't see all of Weiss and Ilia's journey (there'll be a bit of a gap between this moment and when they next show up), but it'll hopefully feel more like there's things going on backstage to the main plot instead of just having a nebulous gray area where the rest of the cast is.


	5. The First Frost

_Some decades ago,_

Fria peaks out from her hiding place in the alleyway.A lock of strawberry blonde hair falls in front of her eyes.Instinctively, she moves it back into place behind her ear.Fria giggles.Her quarry is looking around the street, quite puzzled.She told him to meet her here, of course.He _knows_ she always keeps their meeting appointments (even with her altogether too _structured_ schedule, she’ll never _not_ make time for him).So, _of course_ , he’s wondering what’s keeping her.

Fria ducks back into the alleyway.Despite knowing she’s alone and no one can see her, she double checks anyway.If James is right about anything, it’s that it’s safer for her if no one knows the full extent of what she can do.

Still that doesn’t mean she _can’t_ have a little fun every now and then.Fria cups her hands and blows an unnaturally cold breath into them.Snowflakes form, and reflect periwinkle light back from the blue flames surrounding her eyes.Fria packs the snow into a ball.She double checks yet again that there’s _just_ enough snow on Mantle’s streets that she could have plausibly scooped it up off the pavement.Only once she’s sure of that, does Fria throw her snowball at her quarry.

Her throw is true.The snowball heads directly for the back of Pietro’s head, but, as Fria intended, it breaks apart just before hitting him.Flurries of snow blow past Pietro.Some stick to the beard he’s been trying to grow out (which Fria has found herself warming to the idea of recently).

Pietro starts.He puts a hand over his chest.“ _Fria._ ”He turns in her direction, his eyes twinkling.“Dear me, what happened to your manners?I thought you knew better than to throw snowballs at unsuspecting friends?”He subtly presses a few buttons on his chair.Anyone who doesn’t know him as well as Fria would have no time to prepare themselves.

Fria sees the trashcan lid, lunges, and lifts it to shield herself all in the split second before Pietro’s cannon emerges from his chair and fires a barrage of snowballs back at her (for the record, the cannon can load other types of dust than ice and can be used as a true weapon, but Pietro hardly ever uses it as such).Laughter escapes Fria’s mouth.“Hypocritical much, Petey?”

Pietro shrugs innocently.“You started it.”

“Fair.”Fria walks over to him, leans down, wraps an arm around his shoulders, and gives him a friendly side hug.She brushes snow off his coat as she stands back up.“So?Are you going to show me this super secret project of yours?”Fria whispers in his ear.

Pietro’s smile flickers for the briefest of moments.“Perhaps a cup of cocoa first?To warm up.”He leans in conspiratorially.“I’ll have to sneak you in to my fancy lab up in Atlas, after all.”

Fria frowns.“James isn’t letting you work down here anymore?”She quite enjoyed the early days of Pietro’s employment by the Atlesian Military, when it was just Pietro brainstorming idea after idea here in his Mantle pharmacy.She’d keep him company, as a friend (and when she wanted an escape from her rigorous ‘maiden training’), offer the odd joke, and whatever feedback she could (sure Fria isn’t as technologically-gifted as Pietro is, but she can at least _try_ to help).

It’s been too long since those days, in Fria’s opinion.She’s been quietly hoping that, once Pietro received approval and funding to move on to the next stage of his latest project, he’d be back down in Mantle.She doesn’t even know what this project _is_ , and she used to know the details to _all_ of them (even if she never quite understood them).

“No…” Pietro’s eyes drift down the street, in the direction of his pharmacy.“This one’s special.”He looks back to Fria.A small smile appears on his lips.“You’ll understand when you meet her.”

“Meet her?”Fria blinks, bewildered.

Pietro smiles.“Her name is Penny.”

* * *

_Present day,_

Penny steps into her father’s empty office.She closes the door behind her with a firm click.She knows her father doesn’t have a meeting here until a couple days from now, and that he’ll be down in Mantle until then, but she feels a little guilty for sneaking around like this regardless.

_This is important_ , Penny reminds herself.Her father’s office is one of the few places in Atlas Academy with an openable window she has access to while under Ironwood’s commands to keep a low profile.Not many have clearance to know she’s been rebuilt yet.Until the proper time for a press conference, it’s to remain that way.If anyone were to find out about her ahead of time, Penny would be in a lot of trouble.

Penny tiptoes around her father’s messy piles of paperwork, notes, and machinery in various stages of completion (Pietro doesn’t use his Atlas office for it’s official purposes so much as he does a repository for everything he’s working on when he needs a quick, easy place for storage).Penny reaches the window behind Pietro’s desk and carefully slides it open.

A cold blast that would have caused anyone else to shiver blows her hair back.Penny simply adjusts her temperature parameters accordingly.She glances back at everything in the office.The wind blew some papers into disarray.Penny makes a mental note to return here and tidy up a little once she’s done what she’s planned to.Then, she climbs up onto the windowsill.

Though she’ll never actually admit it to her father, Penny loves jumping out of windows.The thrill of freefalling (in a controlled fashion) before her thrusters kick in and she begins a steady rise into the sky.The texture of moving through cloud vapors.The feeling of weightlessness.Penny just loves it all.

She doesn’t have time to truly enjoy this moment.Her window of opportunity is small, and Penny refuses to risk the possibility of losing it.Instead of lingering like she would have in any other circumstances, Penny carefully closes her father’s office window and begins her flight up.

It takes her approximately 30 seconds to reach the top of Atlas Academy and the massive, glass panels of the Headmaster’s Office.A quick scan of the interior reveals that there is only one person in the room, and he’s sitting at his desk.Penny already knew this, of course (when you’re part computer yourself, it is remarkably easy to get other computers, like the one in charge of the General’s schedule, to do things you want them to, like give you information), but there was always the risk that Ironwood would get an unexpected visitor (besides herself).Penny takes an artificial breath that calms her nervousness a little and taps gently against the window.

Subsequently, she becomes one of the few people who can say they’ve seen General James Ironwood jump out of his seat.His hand flies to his gun.He sees her hovering, and doesn’t draw the weapon.Ironwood’s entire face seems to crease into a frown, which is something Penny never knew was possible.He opens his window to let her in anyway.

“Penny.”Ironwood’s voice is calm, but with an undercurrent of irritation.“What are you _doing_?”

“I wanted to talk to you, sir.”Penny chirps her reply as she flies in and lands.

Ironwood pinches the bridge of his nose.“There are official channels to notify me when there’s an issue.You know this.Why—”

“It’s urgent,” Penny interrupts, and then hastily adds another, “Sir.”She brings her hands together in front of her and twists them together.Penny forces herself to keep her gaze steady on Ironwood as she says, “It’s about Ruby.”

Ironwood’s expression changes from surprise to fear before it hardens into what Penny considers his ‘serious, General expression’.“Okay.”He gestures her to come further into his office, closer to his desk.“What about her?”

“I’m worried about her, sir.”Penny steps forward.“I know Mr. Watts does important work, but he…he’s hurting her.”Penny takes another functionally purposeless breath to sooth her nerves.She recalls how long it took the wet stain Ruby’s tears left on her blouse to dry last night.“I think, I think the experiments should stop.”

“I see.”Ironwood sits down at his desk.He temples his hands.“Yes, Dr. Watts’s recent actions were out of line, but he has been reprimanded accordingly.I have confidence there will be no further incidents in the future.”

“It’s not only that,” Penny presses on.“I talked to Ruby.She misses her family.She’s all alone here too, most of the time.”Penny’s hands clench into fists without her telling them too.“I know security is important and Ruby having silver eyes is a rare trait that must be protected, but we could bring her family here to be with her.We have the ships and—“

“We cannot afford to reallocate the time and resources,” Ironwood stops her.“Not now, with the Amity Arena project so close to starting.”He sighs.“Penny, I understand you care about your friend, but I assure you I’m doing everything in my power to maintain not only Ruby’s wellbeing, but the wellbeing of all Atlas.You have to trust me.”

“I do trust you, sir _._ ”Penny hesitates, but goes on, “But Ruby is _hurting_.I promised her I would help.If we can’t bring her family here, Ruby could come live with me and my father.We have a top of the line security system.I would also personally make sure nothing happens to Ruby while she’s with us.”Except hugs.Lots and lots of hugs would definitely be happening to Ruby, hopefully soon.“You wouldn’t have anything to worry about and—”

“It’s not that simple, Penny!”Ironwood snaps.“Ruby _has to remain absolutely secure_!Our futures depend on it.If I _fail_ , then _she_ wins.”He rubs a hand down his face.“There won’t be another opportunity to study silver eyes like this.I cannot leave anything to chance.I’m sorry, but Ruby must remain where she is.That’s _final_.Understood?”

Penny looks down at her hands.She knows she should say ‘yes’, that that’s what she’s meant to do.She thinks of Ruby again.Of Ruby holding her so tightly like she’s scared Penny will disappear any second and leave her all alone.So, instead, Penny says, “No, I don’t understand.”

“Penny…” Ironwood starts.

“Please, sir,” Penny begs quietly.“There has to be something to help Ruby I can do. _Please_.”

Ironwood stands and walks around his desk to Penny.He places his cybernetic hand heavily on her shoulder.Penny wonders if that’s his way of trying to remind her of their similarities.“I think it’s time you knew what we are truly fighting against,” he tells her quietly.

“Truly fighting against?”

“Her name is Salem.”

* * *

_Some decades ago,_

The robot before Fria is unlike any she’s ever seen, and not just because the robot isn’t activated right now.The robot— _she_ , it’s definitely a she—looks like a regular human girl.If it weren’t for the fact that she’s wired into a massive generator, that would have been Fria’s first thought.Just a girl who could walk by her on the street.Well, Atlas’s streets.The robot lacks the standard coating of dirt and grime and is altogether far too pristine for Mantle.

Pietro comes up beside Fria.He glances at her.There’s worry written across his face.He’s anxious to know what she thinks.Frankly, Fria _isn’t_ quite sure what to think.She understands the assigned challenge that led Pietro to creating this robot.To push toward new horizons for the future of Atlas defense technology, while also removing men from the dangers of the battlefield.

Unlike his peers, Pietro had striven to _not_ completely remove a human touch and replace it with mindless killing machines.Yet, the way he’d done it…

“I was hoping her diagnostics scan would be complete by the time we arrived,” Pietro breaks their silence.“So, you’d be able to talk to her.I think you two would get along well.”

Fria nods.“Yes.”She considers her next words carefully.“I…Pietro, this is marvelous work.Groundbreaking.”Fria averts her gaze away from the robot, and from her friend.

“But?”

Sighing, Fria admits what she’s truly thinking, “I’m not certain you should have done it.”Her heart aches as she watches his face fall.It’s unlike her to reject one of his creations.Usually, she’s the first to congratulate him on a job well done.But this?

Fria looks up at the robot, Penny, and thinks of another young girl.A girl with a fairly normal life in Mantle.Her parents ran an independent dust and grocer’s shop.She went to school, did her homework, played with friends, dreamed of becoming a huntress but didn’t really plan on it.Then one day blue flames glowed around her eyes, she accidentally caused her school to catch fire when she was defending a kid from a bully, and the Atlesian Military came for her.

Ironwood’s predecessor told Fria’s parents that she’d inherited a great and powerful gift, and she needed to be taken up to Atlas to be trained.Neither she nor they really had a choice in the matter.They’d gone with her at first, but life in Atlas was hard for them.Especially for her father, who couldn’t hide his antlers easily.So, they’d left, returned home, and Fria had been on her own to learn and accept her new role as one of the Four Maidens.

Fria takes a deep breath.“Becoming a protector of humanity,” she tells Pietro, “puts a terrible weight on someone’s shoulders.Especially a young person who doesn’t have a choice.”She looks back up at Penny.“It’s a hard burden to carry.”Fria faces Pietro again.“I think what you’ve done here is admirable, and for good reasons, but I worry.What kind of life will she live?”

“I hope to make it a good one for her,” Pietro quietly responds.“I…she…the Penny Project started out as just another advancement in technology, but I want her to be _more_ than that.She—you know I always wanted a child.”

Fria chuckles.She offers Pietro a small smile.“Yes, I do.”

“Penny is more than just a weapon,” Pietro affirms.“She has a soul.She’s her own person.”

For his sake, and Penny’s, Fria hopes that everyone else will see it the same way too.

* * *

_Present day,_

The temperature around Penny and Ironwood steadily decreases as the platform takes them further and further down.Penny tries not to fidget.She’s having a hard time processing everything Ironwood has told her.

Magic is real.The Grimm are controlled by a powerful immortal named Salem, who is behind the attack on Beacon.Salem is after artifacts known as the Relics, because of their power.Each of the Huntsmen Academies houses a Relic in a secret vault, only openable by a seasonal maiden.Beacon, the Crown of Choice.Haven, the Lamp of Knowledge.Shade, the Sword of Destruction.

And Atlas, the Staff of Creation.

The platform arrives at the floor of the Vault.Despite large ice crystals floating in the air, neither Penny nor Ironwood shiver.They both have thermal regulation systems installed to keep them appropriately warm at all times.

Ironwood leads Penny away from the platform that lowered them, past massive columns housing flickering, blue fires, to stand near a precipice into darkness.The largest ice formation of them all is beyond that plunging drop down.It occurs to Penny, it would be very hard for someone who doesn’t have the capability to fly like her to cross the gap and reach the shining, golden door imbedded in the ice.

She turns to Ironwood.“Is…” Penny tentatively starts.“Is this why you built me?”

Penny knows why her father chose to build her.For all her life, Pietro has made it abundantly clear that he views her as a daughter.He loves her.But, that’s _his_ reason.Not Ironwood’s.The first day she met him, Ironwood told Penny it would one day be her job to save the world.She never quite knew what he meant by that.

Standing here now, gazing up at the Vault door, the one that can be only reached by flight, Penny feels like she’s beginning to understand.A calm sense of certainty settles inside her.

“No.”Ironwood shatters Penny’s certainty with a single word.“I’ve already chosen someone else to become the next Winter Maiden.”He turns to fully face her.“I brought you down here in the hopes that you’d fully comprehend the gravity of the situation we’re in.To understand why Ruby must remain where she is.Salem hunts down those with silver eyes.Atlas is the most secure kingdom in the world, but even our technology cannot predict every possible scenario.Until we can harness Ruby’s powers, she must remain under constant supervision.”

“Oh,” Penny responds quietly.Her eyes turn downcast.

“I am trusting you with this secret, Penny.Please trust that I know what I’m doing.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.Now—”

“Let me stay with Ruby.”


	6. A New Approach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> additional content notes for vague mention of offscreen character death and what is arguably torture. A reminder that this is a dark angst fic. pls read responsibly.

Watts runs his index finger over the smooth blade.An hour into his inspection of Floating Array and he’s found no perceivable weaknesses.He’s frustrated.Considering the weapons system belongs to a _robot_ , one would think it would be hackable.But no, despite being an utter imbecile, Pietro is _good_ at his work.Though not as good as Watts at his own.Even if it may be factually true, Arthur will never acquiesce to that point.

Short of a polarity semblance, and Cinder went and foolishly killed the only one currently known, nothing can take control of these swords that isn’t their mistress.Watts needs to figure out something else to control Polendina’s girl, and soon, before she makes an even bigger nuisance of herself.

Sure, Watts got himself into a tad bit of trouble during his last experiment, but Ironwood never truly punishes him for long.He _needs_ Watts too much to sideline him like that.Watts fully believed there wouldn’t be any lasting issues.After a short break, he’d be able to return to his work as he pleased.

Then the Polendina girl showed up, with instructions from Ironwood himself, that she’s to keep Ms. Rose _company._

It’s absolutely ludicrous.Ms. Rose doesn’t _need_ a companion.Such a thing would only serve to undo all the work Watts has done toward breaking her resolve.Instead of continuing to drain away, Ms. Rose’s stubbornness will strengthen.She’ll grow resistant again.If anything, this last experiment proved that he’d finally, _finally_ made significant progress toward breaking her.As _unsavory_ as such a thing may be, Ironwood has to understand that it’s _necessary_ if they want the girl to bend to their will.

Regardless, Watts isn’t in a position where he can negotiate.The opportunity will surely rise.He simply has to be patient and wait for it.Until then, the Polendina girl will remain an issue.

Watts taps an index finger against his desk.He’ll have to return her weapons to her soon.He can only keep them so long under the guise of a ‘security clearance check’.There has to be another wayto keep the Polendina girl in line.He needs to find it.Watts’s eyes wander to the schematics for Ironwood’s precious aura transfer machine.Personally, he hadn’t worked on the project, but it did strike his curiosity, so he requisitioned all the papers necessary to learn how it functioned.

_Well, that’s certainly a thought._

If the Polendina girl wants so badly to be with her dear friend for the experiments, why not let her?After all, he already allowed her to be once, with favorable results.

Watts cracks his knuckles and begins to type up a proposal for Ironwood.

Halfway into it, his scroll vibrates.Watts pauses in his typing.He takes his scroll out of his pocket and places it on his desk.There’s no incoming call.Not one that would be recognized to anyone else.Watts waits.The scroll vibrates again and again, in a specific pattern that’s meaning is known only to him.

Watts frowns.He hopes there were no issues with his last report.He hates having to retread his steps over again.But, if her dark ladyship has found an issue, it _is_ his responsibility to deal with it.Watts stands, goes and locks his office door, and then returns to his desk.He reaches down next to it, picks his handbag up, and opens its clasps.

The Seer Grimm rises from its resting place to float directly in front of Watts.

“How may I be of service?”Watts speaks into the Seer.The creature utterly fascinates him.A Grimm that’s content to settle in and wait without attacking whatever happens to be nearest to it.How did Salem create such a thing?His curiosity longs to ask, but he knows it is not his place, so he doesn’t.

After an extended moment, Salem appears in the Seer.“There has been a complication with the acquisition of the Spring Maiden,” she speaks calmly.

“Oh.”Watts frowns.“Do you require me in Mistral?”It will take some doing to arrange an excuse to travel outside Atlas without jeopardizing his cover, but he’s more than capable of succeeding at the task.

“No.The situation is being dealt with.I am sending Tyrian to you.He is in need of a new tail.”

“A new tail?”Watts scoffs.“What happened to his old one?”

“Spring was more powerful than anticipated,” Salem explains coolly.“And resistant.I have faith our Fall can take care of her successor.That is not for you to concern yourself with.”Watts sees her fold her hands together on the table before her.“When Tyrian arrives, you and he are to begin preparing Atlas.Haven will fall as planned, and Atlas will be next.”

Watts frowns.“What about Vacuo?”

“In due time.As the pieces on the board change places, so too must the strategy.”

“Understood.”Watts nods.“It will be done.”

“Good.”

Salem deactivates the Seer.Watts carefully hides it away again.He goes to see Ironwood about his new experiment.

* * *

All it takes is a simple prick of a needle to administer the sedative.It’s not a very strong one.It won’t last long.Ms. Rose will be fully cognizant when Watts needs her to be.But, he’s been instructed to make things easier, more endurable, for his subject.Of course, he has his objections, but he has not spoken them.

Although, this way is easier on him too, Watts thinks, as he leads Ms. Rose out of her room and down the hall.It’s much nicer to not have to deal with the girl attempting to glare holes in the back of his head.The way she stumbles and bumps sleepily into the walls, too, has its entertainment merits.

Watts stops Ms. Rose as she goes for the familiar door of the training room.“No, I have something _special_ planned for today,” he tells her, unable to resist smirking.“Since you were so _uncooperative_ last time, the General and I thought it would be wise to give you a break.Allow you to watch, for a change.”He can see the gears in her brain turning.Her mind attempting to escape the mental fog of the sedative and figure out what he’s talking about.

Watts doesn’t tell her, just guides her further along until they reach one of the labs at his disposal.A couple numbers pressed into the keypad at the side of its door and they’re inside.He seals the door shut behind them.The sedative shouldn’t be wearing off yet, but he can’t know how his subject will respond to seeing the machinery inside the room.Rumor is she was one of Ozpin’s favorites.Whether or not that meant he filled her in on secrets such as the aura transfer machine are unknown, but Watts is a _careful_ scientist.Precautions do matter.

Luckily, it appears Ms. Rose doesn’t know what the machines strategically placed in the room are or, if she does, is not in a state of mind to react to them.Watts shoves her forward toward one.Ruby stumbles.For the first time she glares, and attempts to stand her ground.

Rather than waste time or energy on fighting Ms. Rose’s resistance, Watts motions a couple of his Knights forward to manhandle the girl into the machine.She struggles against their grip on her arms, but it isn’t enough to free her.Mechanically, the Knights tighten restraints around her wrists and bind her to the inside of the machine’s chamber.They do the same to her ankles.Once they step back, Watts presses a few buttons on the control module and the machine’s glass cover hisses shut over Ms. Rose.

He smirks at her.“Don’t worry, the show will start soon,” he informs her, gesturing to the long window that completely takes up one wall of the lab, to show the training room beyond it.Ms. Rose’s eyes flick to it, and then back at him.She’s still trying to figure out what the plan here is, with slightly more success now that the sedative has begun to wear off.

Truthfully, Watts was a bit surprised when Ironwood approved this experiment.It does come with quite a few risks.He gave his word Ms. Rose wouldn’t be too hurt by it, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be hurt _at all_.Then again, Ironwood’s concerns are currently focused entirely on Ms. Rose being harmed in a _combat_ setting.Perhaps Ironwood had taken one look at the part of the proposal where she wouldn’t be the one fighting in this experiment and decided it was good enough.Whatever Ironwood’s motives were, they hardly matter now.The experiment is approved, the sedative (used mostly to merely get the subject in the machine without causing damage to it) seems to be wearing off.It’s time to start.

Watts presses another button on his control module.The door to the training room opens.The Polendina girl, alone, walks inside, with Floating Array’s backpack strapped to her.She looks around.

“Hello?Ruby?Dr. Watts?”The window glass muffles her tentative voice.She looks around.She can’t see them.It’s a one-way window.Her side reflects her own surroundings back at her.

With a small, self-indulgent flourish, Watts continues sending commands in through the control module.Along the training room’s perimeter, barriers slide into the wall.The containment units open.Grimm surround Polendina’s girl.

Some of Watts’s colleagues marvel at his apparent ability to capture and hold Grimm for extended periods.His methods work on paper, but none of the oh-so-brilliant Atlas scientists have ever managed to replicate them.Some have even died trying.It’s amusing.

In truth, Watts’s methods only _appear_ doable.Whenever he’s needed Grimm for his experiments, he’s sent word to Salem and she’s provided accordingly.

Watts watches Ms. Rose’s face as her precious friend begins to fight the Grimm.The worry in her expression is clear.Good.If this is to work, she needs to be emotional.The last time they had a successful silver eye activation, it was because Ms. Rose feared for Polendina’s girl.For this experiment, Watts hypothesized, a second activation could be possible under similar circumstances.The only difference being, this time he’d be in a better position to study _what_ exactly happens when his subject uses her power.

Watts waits.

It takes a while for Polendina’s girl to tire out.She doesn’t usually, but even she can’t keep up with a continuous stream of Grimm all trying to rip her to shreds.Her first mistake comes.Claws rip into the sleeve of her blouse.Ripping metal screeches.She yelps, launches herself jerkily into the air to escape.

Watts eyes dart over to his subject.Ms. Rose strains against her restraints.Fear is written across her face.It occurs to Watts it may be enough to draw the Grimm away from their current target.He frowns.That won’t do at all.He taps his fingers against the control module impatiently.It’s too early, but, if he waits much longer, the experiment could be ruined.

Thankfully, the first silver flash happens.It lights up the room, momentarily blinding Watts.He allows himself to smile.He turns on the aura machine.It whirs to life, and begins to tug _hard_.Ms. Rose’s aura flares around her.She cries out.Her body convulses.Watts watches her squirm and writhe. 

He doesn’t need much from her.Just enough for the machine to pick up readings on how her aura fluctuates when her silver eyes aren’t activated compared to when they are.He won’t actually _damage_ her aura, or permanently remove any amount of it.Watts has been explicitly forbidden from going that far. 

Ruby screams.

In the training room, Penny’s attention shifts.She looks to the window wall.Her eyes widen.For all she can’t see into the lab, she’s definitely heard what’s happening on the other side of the barrier.

Watts won’t know the precise series of events that happens next until he reviews security camera footage later.All he knows now is one moment, things are fine; the next, glass is shattering around him.He instinctively covers his face with his arms.

Alarms blare.For the first time, Watts feels fear.The wall between himself and the Grimm is gone.

Before he can get to the control module and initiate the training room’s laser turrets, a chunk of metal flies from out of nowhere and smashes down upon it.Color drains from Watts’s face.More metal screeches.

He sees the cause of uproar.Polendina’s girl smashed her way into the lab, ripped apart the aura machine, and is doing her best to get his subject out of it.Watts moves to stop her.Rogue electricity crackles and lashes out from the machine, which is _still on_ , in his direction.He retreats back and takes cover behind what remains of the control module.

Powerful currents that would have severely hurt any human race race up the robot girl’s arms, wrap around her shoulders, and then cover her body.Her clothes sizzle and burn, but she ignores it all.She pulls Ms. Rose from the remains of the malfunctioning machine.

Bright green and red light painfully flash before Watts’s eyes.The world goes silver-white.Black Grimm dust disintegrates in the air behind him.

A chunk of the ceiling falls, pins Watts in place, and breaks his aura.He struggles, strains, and then loses consciousness.


	7. Protectors

_The Night of the Fall of Beacon,_

“Ruby Rose.Her name is _Ruby Rose_.I know it’s a different surname than mine.She took her mother’s.I—”

“Not on the list.Sorry pal.Maybe try the field hospital on the east side?”

.

“Ruby Rose.She’s fifteen.Black hair with red tips.Silver eyes—“

“Sorry, no one here fits that description.Have you tried asking at the central station?They’ve put together a list of all currently accounted for students and how to contact them.”

.

“My sincerest condolences, Mr. Xiao Long.”

.

Taiyang aimlessly wanders away from the last officer of the Vale Disaster Relief Force.He ignores the yells that follow after him.His search is over, at an end.He has no idea what to do with that information or how to process it.He knew it _could_ have ended this way.He didn’t think it _would_.

Like everyone else on Remnant, he’d been watching when that poor girl was ripped to shreds, when Grimm attacked Beacon Academy.Taiyang hadn’t hesitated.He’d grabbed his long unused weapon, locked Zwei safely in the house, and ran.

Logically, he knew he wouldn’t make it to Vale in time to truly help, but Taiyang is, and always had been, a huntsman.There was no way he wouldn’t _try._ He arrived in time to defend the last of the evacuation ships.To be there with Yang when she was rushed to an ambulance, and rode with her to the nearest medical facility.

He’d returned when his eldest daughter went into surgery, unable to sit still waiting.He couldn’t do anything for Yang, but he could find Ruby.Find her and bring her to be at her sister’s side when she woke up.They’d been hurt this terrible night, but they were a family.They’d get through this together.They always did.

Not this time.

Somehow, Taiyang finds himself in a bar, staring at his reflection in a beer he has no recollection of ordering.He blinks, wonders if he should drink the alcohol, if it would help, and doesn’t move.

He should never have let her go.Ruby was too young.Too inexperienced.She wasn’t ready for Academy-level combat training.If he’d kept her home, she would have been watching the tournament on the TV with him.Safe. _Alive_.

Taiyang hadn’t thought it possible to feel worse than he did when Raven left, and then when Summer failed to come home from that last mission.The old gaping hole in his soul, the one he’s tried desperately to live regardless of, aches again.Fresh and painful.

“Tai.”He doesn’t know how Qrow has found him.Taiyang hates how soft, _tentative_ , Qrow’s usually grizzly voice is.Like Qrow’s scared Taiyang will shatter.Again.

“Yang’s out of surgery.She’ll wake up soon.”Qrow lets out a weary breath.“We should be there.”

“Alright,” Taiyang mumbles.He doesn’t move.He can’t.Maybe if he doesn’t move, it won’t be true.Real.

Qrow takes him by the shoulders and leads him away.

The night ends, but the nightmare doesn’t.

* * *

“Where’s Ruby?”Yang’s eyes are wide.She turns her head to each side, looking.As if her younger sister is hiding in some unnoticed corner, planning to surprise her.

Taiyang stares at his hands.In his head, he’d prepared words for this moment.The words he’d chosen seemed like the right ones, but now they felt meaningless.Useless.How could any words fill this moment?He doesn’t want to do this.He wants to tell Yang Ruby is just elsewhere right now, that she’ll be here soon.He can’t.He knows he can’t.

“…Dad?”Yang’s usually confident, jovial voice quivers.“Where’s Ruby?”She repeats.

“You’re sister…” Taiyang forces himself to look at Yang.To hold her gaze, regardless of the tears pooling in his own eyes.“She didn’t make it out alive.”

* * *

A cool breeze blows past the three of them as they make their way to the top of the hill.No one speaks.They haven’t said much to each other since returning home.Qrow has stayed for once, hovering around Taiyang and Yang.He doesn’t even try to hide his blatant worry.Normally that would irritate Taiyang, but he’s honestly relieved Qrow is there.His presence is grounding.One person he hasn’t managed to completely lose yet.

They reach the site.Taiyang’s eyes go to Summer’s gravestone. _I’m sorry,_ he whispers to her in his head. _I couldn’t protect our daughter.Please, take care of her now._

Yang steps forward.Her prosthetic arm, sent from Atlas itself, shines in the sunlight.Its red coat of spray paint doesn’t suit her well, but neither Qrow or Taiyang have ever said as much.They know why its red.Without Yang ever explaining the choice to them, they know.

Yang kneels down by the second, newer, grave.“Hey, sis.”Her voice is hoarse.She cried all morning before coming here, but she’d been determined that she wouldn’t cry when they got here.Her father and uncle had waited until she’d let it all out. 

“Guess what arrived the other day?”Yang places Crescent Rose down in front of Ruby’s gravestone.“Yeah, General Ironwood brought it himself.All the way from Atlas.Hard to believe, right?”Yang closes her eyes and inhales a deep breath.“I’ll leave it here with you for a while.It’s going to rain later, and I know you wouldn’t want it out in the rain.”

* * *

Time passes, but it doesn’t feel like they’re healing.Taiyang goes through the motions of his daily life.Feed Zwei.Take care of the chores.Spar with Yang.Make dinner.He has his good moments, and his bad ones.Depression isn’t an unfamiliar companion.He knows how to handle it.More or less.

“Dad?”Yang approaches Taiyang as they’re clearing the dinner plates one night.“I need…” she bites her bottom lip.“I need to talk to you about something.It’s important.”

Taiyang places their dishes in the sink.“What is it?”

“I…I’m going to go look for them.Blake and Weiss, I mean.I know I don’t know where Blake is and Weiss is in Atlas, and that it’s hard to get into that kingdom now, but I…”Yang inhales and exhales.“I keep thinking.About Ruby.I just, I wish I could have had one last chance to talk to her.To tell her things.Important things.Like how much I love her.”She looks up at Taiyang.“Blake and Weiss aren’t family the same way we are, but they’re my _team_.Even if they don’t want to be anymore, there’re some things I want to say to them.”

“Okay.”Taiyang holds back a deep breath.He may want to keep Yang at home forever, where it’s safe.If she never leaves, a quiet part of him whispers, she’ll never _not_ come back.But, this isn’t his choice to make.“What do you need?”

They talk about Yang’s journey ahead late into the night.Eventually Qrow walks in on the conversation.He practically demands to go with Yang.He has a knack, he argues, for tracking down hard to find people.If Yang wants to have any chance of finding Blake, she’ll need him.

There’s also an unstated undertone, Taiyang knows, about keeping Yang safe.

He wonders about going with them himself, but the morning they prepare and then depart, Taiyang finds himself waving them off from the doorway.

Later, he regrets that choice.

* * *

Now that it’s just Taiyang, he finds himself picking up Crescent Rose and taking the weapon to visit Summer and Ruby’s graves more and more.He can’t leave it permanently for Ruby.The weather will eventually destroy the weapon, and that would be the last thing she’d ever want.So, he takes it to her when he can.He hopes wherever in the afterlife she is now, the gesture makes her happy.

He tells his girls about his day, about teaching at Signal Academy.He admits, for the first time, to them, that it no longer feels right.All his students are someone’s child.A parent is out there, trusting him to teach them well enough that they’ll always come home.

He can’t do it.Not anymore.He doesn’t feel strong enough.

* * *

The sun shines the last time Taiyang visits both Summer and Ruby’s graves.He takes Zwei along for the walk.The corgi bounds up the path and back, barking happily.It’s the first time Zwei has been really energetic since, well, since things changed.The dog may not be able to understand why Ruby is no longer with them, but he still shows signs of missing her presence.

When Taiyang and Zwei reach the top of the hill, three people already stand at the gravesites.It takes Taiyang a moment to recognize them, from the pictures his daughters sent home during their happy days at Beacon.

Jaune Arc.Nora Valkyrie.Lie Ren.The surviving members of Team JNPR.

For the longest moment, all Taiyang and the kids do is stare at each other.

“Uh, hi…” Jaune begins.“Sorry, we were just visiting our friend before we left.”

“We’re going to AVENGE HER DEATH!”Nora shouts excitedly.Her gaze turns downcast and her expression sad.“Her and Pyrrha’s.”

Ren, whose gaze is on the scythe Taiyang attached to his belt, asks, “Your Ruby’s father?”

Taiyang nods.“Yes.”He looks between the three of them.“What exactly were you planning?”

“The people behind the attack on Beacon, we found out they came from Haven Academy,” Jaune begins.“We know something is going on, something _bigger_ than anyone really lets on.”He takes a deep breath.“It’s what got Pyrrha killed.That night, the night Beacon fell, she…”His expression turns somber.“We’re going to find them and _stop_ them, whoever they are.Don’t try to stop us.We’re not changing our minds.”

“I wasn’t going to.”Taiyang holds firmly onto Crescent Rose.“I was going to offer to go with you.”

Someone’s going to have to look out for these three.Taiyang is _not_ passing up another chance to be a protector.

He’ll do it right this time.

* * *

.

_Present Day,_

When Ruby wakes up, she doesn’t know where she is.Once that would have caused her to freak out, but she’s become used to such things during her time in Atlas.Sure, usually she wakes up in her room after a particularly bad experiment renders her unconscious, but it’s not the only place she ever has.Considering how much she aches right now, it makes sense that she’s in some kind of medical wing of the facility.

It occurs to Ruby, as she gazes at the various monitors she’s hooked up to and the IV taped to her arm, that her current sense of calm may be due to pain medication.That kind of bothers her, but it also means she gets to have a break for a while, so not as much as it probably should.Ruby closes her eyes again.It would be nice to sleep, peacefully for once.

_I hope Ruby is alright._

Just as Ruby is drifting off, the thought startles her awake again.It’s odd.The thought is Ruby’s and, at the same time, it isn’t.It’s in _her_ head, but it’s not something Ruby herself thought up.She doesn’t understand.She’s too tired to really try.

_Go away,_ Ruby thinks. _I’m okay.I’m tired.Let me sleep._

There is silence in Ruby’s head for a long moment of consideration.But there’s also a presence.Something lingering that isn’t quite her.It’s like a door opened up on the edge of her mind leading into a long, winding passageway.Ruby stands at the entryway, looking into the unknown.She knows she doesn’t know what’s at the end.It feels strangely familiar.

A second thought that isn’t Ruby’s but is in her head regardless comes.

_Ruby_?

The familiarity fully takes form.Ruby recognizes it.She smiles.She replies.

_Penny_?

… _are you in my mind_?

_I think you’re in mine_?

_How is this happening_?

_I don’t know.What is even happening_?

It’s a conversation, but it’s hard to know who’s saying what.Ruby feels like the thoughts are hers and like they aren’t hers all at the same time.It’s confusing.Her head hurts.She feels the beginning throbs of a headache.

_I’m sorry!_ That’s definitely Penny thinking in Ruby’s head.Toward her head?What? _Maybe if I go into sleep mode, this’ll end.You won’t hurt so much._

_NO!_ Ruby mentally shouts back.She doesn’t want to be alone. _I don’t want you to go.Stay, please.PLEASE._

_Okay._

It’s easier to identify Penny’s presence in Ruby’s mind as something separate from herself now.Ruby knows, physically speaking, she’s alone, but it’s nice to not _completely_ be on her own, which is still confusing.

_I think…I think I have a theory,_ Penny sends over to Ruby, through what Ruby now knows Penny considers a telepathic link between them.Ruby knows that’s what Penny thinks it is because she sensed when Penny first thought of it.Because…she can sense Penny’s thoughts now?

_Oh gods, we’re going insane, aren’t we?_

_No, I don’t think we are,_ Penny reassures. _It’s hard to explain…here I’ll show you_.

Without warning, images appear in Ruby’s head in rapid succession.There’s a view from inside the training room, the one from the last experiment.The lab covered in shattered glass.Ruby herself in that wretched machine.Then she’s yanking the machine apart, pulling Ruby—herself?—out.Green and red light encompasses them.Their auras, yanked violently by the machine, swirl together, mixing, turning a deep brown-purple where they meet.

Ruby, in her medical ward, looks down at her hands.She knows wherever Penny is she’s doing the same.They summon their auras in unison, and, seeing through each other’s eyes, stare together.Red aura gently pulses over Ruby’s hands, with flashes of bright green sparkles that have never been there before.Light, illuminated green stands out against the black of Penny’s gloves, only interrupted by the regular appearance of scarlet sparkles.

_We’re…_

_…Connected._

Not by choice.Not by their own desire.By a terrible situation that should never have come to pass.Their auras are linked, possibly bound together for the rest of their lives.Neither knows what to say.They fall silent and disappear into their own thoughts.

After a while, Ruby reaches out. 

_Penny?Penny, are you there?_

_Yes,_ Penny responds, her mental voice coming across as nervous. _I’m sorry.This is all my fault.If I hadn’t interfered—_

Ruby interrupts not by sending a reply back, but by bringing the memory of how much pain she’d been in in the aura machine to the forefront of her mind.She doesn’t mean to share the memory with Penny, but she practically hears Penny’s sharp gasp in response anyway.Ruby winces.

_I’m glad you intervened,_ Ruby tells Penny quietly.

It takes Penny a minute to respond. _I am, too._ She pauses. _Ruby, I—I’m so, so sorry._ _For my part in all this.For hurting you.For—_ She stops her thought train from going further before Ruby can. 

_I’m going to get you out._

The thought is confident, certain, unwavering.Ruby wants so badly to believe in it, but she’s also tried to escape so many times before.She’s tired enough as it is.Getting her hopes up again will just drain the rest of her energy away.

Penny senses Ruby’s unease. _I don’t know how I’m going to do it,_ she admits. _But I’m not stopping until I find a way.This, what Dr. Watts and Mr. Ironwood are doing to you, is wrong._

Memories flash across Ruby’s mind, of conversations she herself wasn’t present for. _I tried talking to them already, but…it didn’t work.Not really._ Penny pauses.Ruby knows she’s thinking. _Can you tell me about where you are now?_ Penny asks. _What it looks like around you?Do you see any security features?_

Ruby shakes her head, and then remembers Penny can’t see her. _No.It’s some kind of hospital room, but I don’t think they’d put me in an actual one._

_I’ll find you,_ Penny promises. _I’m still in need of a few repairs, but once Father is finished, I’ll come for you._

Her certainty, now, is reassuring to Ruby.For the first time in a very long time, she allows herself to smile.Just a little.

_Is there anything I can do to help until then?_ Penny asks.

_Stay with me, please?_ Ruby shifts her head’s position on her pillow to get more comfortable. _I like it when you’re with me._

What happens next is strange.The best way Ruby can describe it is as a mental hug.There’s no physical touch involved.There can’t be; they aren’t really together.But Ruby still _feels_ like she’s being hugged.Penny’s warm embrace surrounds her and, just for a moment, she feels safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: the Taiyang portion of this chapter wasn't actually part of the outline. Originally, I planned for the flashbacks of this chapter to be Ruby telling Penny how she came to be in Atlas and her first days in captivity, but then I realized the emotional beats those scenes would have covered have already been well-established in the fic (also I didn't have much new stuff to add to them either). That and it would be a disservice to Penny's character to have her need even more to convince her to break Ruby out after everything she's witnessed and her conversations with Watts and Ironwood.
> 
> So, I started considering if there was a different way I could narrate the aftermath of the Fall, and that's how we ended up with Taiyang (a bit earlier than his planned first Big Appearance, but I'm really happy with his scenes tbh)
> 
> Anyway, stay tuned, everyone's favorite robot girl is going ROGUE! (soon)


	8. Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional content note for character deaths.
> 
> In the first scene, a character comes across a crashed airship and the fates of its crew are described with some detail.
> 
> In the second, an older character passes peacefully.

_The Fall of Beacon_

A giant nevermore screeches overhead.Its beating wings push a wind gust down to the earth.Thankfully not in the direction of Ironwood or his target location, but he hears earsplitting screams coming from where it goes.He grimaces.He can’t do anything about that.Not yet, at least.

He runs over the last hill.His objective is in front of him, smoking but not completely on fire.Ironwood hurries to the downed medical ship.He’d seen the great white flash that left the Grimm Wyvern at the top of Beacon Tower petrified.He’d watched as a medical airship, one of Atlas’s own, approach the remains of the tower and fly away.He’d witnessed the ship being attacked and ripped apart by griffins.He’d tracked its crash trajectory here.

With his cybernetic arm, Ironwood rips the dented almost beyond recognition door panel away from the remains of the ship.The metal tearing makes a horrible noise that will haunt his dreams for many nights to come.Ironwood pushes his way inside.

The front of the airship is completely crushed.The pilot’s body is pinned in their seat by a jagged piece of metal slammed into them upon impact with the ground.Ironwood sees the blood trail before he sees the medical officer.The poor man survived the crash itself.He’d attempted crawling over to the emergency radio.He’d gotten his hand on it, but succumbed to death before he could call for help.

Ironwood lets out a great defeated sigh.He’s too late.There’s no helping either of them.He turns to leave.The night isn’t over.So long as he keeps moving, he can save as many as he can.

A faint groan comes from the back of the ship.Ironwood pauses.He turns back.The area where patients are secured for transport is designed to be the strongest, most fortified part of these aircrafts.This one survived the crash relatively intact.

Carefully, and keeping one eye on the flames now licking up from what remains of the engine, Ironwood goes to investigate.Unlike the ship’s ill-fated crew, the patient they were transporting is alive.A student.He can see her chest rising and falling steadily.She’s not conscious, but appears relatively uninjured.Ironwood glances over the report the medical officer was in the beginning stages of writing.It confirms the huntress-in-training has no dire injuries, but, when they picked her up, she wasn’t conscious and there was a strange heat radiating from around her eyes.The medical officer theorized that it could be Semblance-related. _How else could this seemingly unimpressive teenager turn a wyvern to stone?_ , he’d scribbled as a note.

In the second after Ironwood read those words, two things happen.He recognizes the girl.Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, who he’d had to personally disqualify from the Vytal Tournament due to one of their member’s poor sportsmanship.And, he remembers the the color of her eyes.Silver.

_So, it’s true._ Ironwood had never completely believed Ozpin when he spoke about the fantastical power granted to silver-eyed people.It seemed a little far-fetched.Gray was a common eye color in Atlas.If these silver-eyed people were so special, wouldn’t one have shown up already amidst them? he’d argued. 

Ozpin always responded by saying it took a little more than that.The power of the silver eyes would only reveal itself in the presence of Grimm.If a silver-eyed person remained solely in the confines of a kingdom as well guarded as Atlas, they may never have the opportunity to awaken their powers. 

Ironwood found that even harder to believe.Atlas nurtured the best huntsmen and huntresses in the world until they reached their full potential.If any of them had this supposed special power, it would have been brought out and realized.

Unbelievable powers or not, Ironwood needs to get Ruby out of the crashed medical ship.He files away his musings on her eyes for future consideration.Gently, Ironwood leans down and lifts Ruby into his arms.She mumbles incoherently, squirms, and only settles when Ironwood picks up the weapon that had been set down beside her too.

Ironwood gets Ruby out of the ship just in time.Moments after he steps away from it, the flames that were slowly consuming the engine find the fuel tank.The heat of the explosion at his back, Ironwood runs.Fast enough to get away, but not fast enough to prevent a small piece of flying shrapnel from grazing Ruby just above her right eye.

Ironwood stares, horrified.Regardless of whether or not he truly believes in the power of the silver eyes, any potential they have will go away the second they’re injured beyond repair or Ruby dies.He needs to keep her safe.No matter what.Instinctively, Ironwood’s grip on Ruby tightens as he walks.

The beginnings of a plan form in his head.Ruby can’t stay in Vale.Not after tonight.It’s not secure.Shade and Haven are options, but Vacuo is well _Vacuo_ and Ironwood isn’t sure how much he trusts Lionheart these days.The man failed to keep someone as important as his academy’s Maiden secure on its campus, after all.

No, Atlas is much safer than either of the other still standing academies.He’ll take Ruby home with him.Enroll her as a transfer student, maybe.Give her the structure and support she needs to unlock her powers if they do exist.

Ironwood stops in his tracks.There’s a critical flaw in his plan.

Qrow Branwen.

Though not Ruby’s uncle by blood, that was one thing that never seemed to matter much to Qrow.He cared for her just as much as he did his actual niece.Given his _opinions_ on Ironwood’s kingdom, he’d never willingly let Ironwood take Ruby to Atlas, even if it is the best place for her.The _only_ place where she’d truly be safe.

If Ironwood were to protect Ruby, to protect their _best possible chance at gaining an upper hand against Salem_ , he’d have to convince Qrow to let him take her away.

Or would he?

An alternative, one that, morally speaking, Ironwood knows he shouldn’t like, comes to mind.No one, other than himself, _knows_ he pulled Ruby out of the medical ship before it exploded.No one but him _knows_ she’s alive.What if he doesn’t tell anyone?Use the chaos of the attack on Beacon to smuggle her onto one of his ships and simply take her to Atlas?He wouldn’t be able to officially enroll her as a student then, of course, but she’d be _secure._ Their future would be _secure_.

Ironwood would need to assign someone to assist her in unlocking her powers _privately_.Dr. Polendina, perhaps.Although he’d likely object to the secrecy of it all.Pietro always considered himself fatherly to Penny.He’d be busy rebuilding her too.No, Ironwood considers his growing plan more.Watts is a better option for this _project_.Arthur will enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to bring out Ruby’s potential.The fact that no one else can know about it will help stroke his ego and keep it in check too.

That decided, Ironwood sets off.If anyone, especially Qrow or anyone else in Ruby’s family, ever finds out what he’s about to do, he knows they’ll despise him for his decision.It’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make.The burden of protecting the world rests squarely on his shoulders and his alone.There’s nothing he won’t do for the greater good of all Remnant.

* * *

_Present Day_

If she’s ever called upon to do so, Penny will vouch for the good character of Winter Schnee.Winter is kind.Most military officials don’t treat Penny like her own person, or it takes them some time to get there.From the very first time they met, Winter has always made Penny feel like she was actually _seeing_ her.Not as a robotic puppet to be ordered around, but as someone autonomous all on her own.She’s considerate of Penny.She explains things when Penny doesn’t quite understand.

Winter is one of Penny’s favorite people in Atlas.

Which is why she feels really, _really_ bad about this.

Penny peaks around the edge of Winter’s personal desk to check on the Special Operative.It’s unlikely Winter will randomly wake up.Ever since she started taking a sleep medication to get through the night, Winter has been getting the exact approximate amount of rest she needs without interruption.Yes, she can still be woken up by a loud enough noise, but part of Penny’s training covered stealth infiltration.Unless Penny is super obvious about her presence, she won’t wake Winter up.

The scroll in Penny’s hand vibrates.She looks down, relieved to see a green bar covered by a 100%.Carefully, Penny places Winter’s scroll back on its charging station exactly how she found it.She squats down to conceal herself behind the desk again and thumbs through everything on the cloned version of the device she just finished making.

Like Penny suspected, Winter has access to much more classified information than the average Special Operative.Though technically Winter doesn’t officially rank higher than any of the others, everyone knows she’s Ironwood’s favorite, and gets special treatment and assignments.

If anyone other than Dr. Watts and General Ironwood were to have information on where Ruby is being kept and the exact defenses around her, Penny figures, it would be Winter.

In a general sense, Penny knows where Ruby is.But each time she’s been permitted to visit her, she’s been asked to not record _how_ she got there to her memory banks.It’s standard procedure, really.In the event Penny is ever compromised, it’s better for her _not_ to have too critical intel in her head (for this purpose, she also maintains a heavily encrypted mental file that can easily self-destruct for things like knowing about Salem and the maidens).

As much as Penny knows what Ruby’s room itself looks like (she has pointedly refused to erase her friend herself from her memory banks), Penny can’t say she knows how to get there on her own.She can’t ask without drawing awareness to herself either.She considered stealing either Watts’s or Ironwood’s scrolls to get the necessary intel first, but the former is a difficult man to pin down, seemingly coming and going without a trace, and the latter has the most secure scroll in all Atlas.Though Penny has the capacity to hack, she’s not sure she’d be able to get into Ironwood’s scroll before it automatically shuts down and sends out a security breach notification warning.

So, here she is, stealing from someone she considers a friend.

_For Ruby,_ Penny reminds herself.There.She finds what she’s looking for.According to Winter’s scroll’s location logs, she’s been going to the same restricted access area of Atlas Academy regularly since soon after the Fall of Beacon.If Ruby’s anywhere, it’s likely there.

Penny stands, tiptoes across Winter’s quarters, exits as quietly as she can, and sets off.

The academy is silent around her.No one is permitted to be out and about in public academy spaces after curfew (dormitories are an exception given teams don’t have access to bathrooms directly from their rooms).The only reason the alarms attached to all the security cameras Penny is walking by aren’t blaring is because she’s carrying a scroll with identical security clearance to Winter Schnee’s, and Winter is allowed practically everywhere whenever she wants.

It’s a shorter walk than Penny thinks it will be to the room where Ruby is being held.It’s also strangely different?Penny can’t say how, since she doesn’t remember what the door looks like, but she’s fairly certain it _didn’t_ look like this.Regardless, Penny holds the clone of Winter’s scroll up to the security pad.The door slides open.

The lights flicker on.Someone who definitely isn’t Ruby stirs in the bed across the room.She yawns.“Is it morning already?”Her blue eyes blink when she sees Penny.“You’re not Ms. Schnee.”

‘I, uh, I—sorry for disturbing you, ma’am.I have the wrong room,” Penny hastily apologies.She knows she should go, let the old woman return to sleep, but she lingers.Why is there an old woman all alone in a restricted access area of Atlas Academy?

_“_ I…I recognize you,” the old woman says more to herself than to Penny.“Yes.You’re Pietro’s girl, aren’t you?Penny?”

Without thinking, Penny steps closer.“You know me?”

The old woman chuckles.“Know of you, really.I’m great friends with your father.Or I used to be.”She sighs.“It’s been so long since I saw Pietro.Come.”She pats the blankets on her bed.“Sit.I’ve always wanted to talk to you.”

“I…” Penny hesitates.She needs to be going, to continue her search for Ruby.But her one clue was wrong, so she’s back at square one.She does want to know why this woman is locked away here too.How many people are secretly being held in Atlas Academy?

Penny approaches the bed.The old woman shifts positions a little so Penny can sit down on the edge of it.She’s smiles at Penny.“I’m sure you’re wondering how I know your father.Did he ever mention his dear friend, Fria?”

“Yes, he…” Penny’s eyes turn downcast.“He said you were close, and then drifted apart.”She remembers stumbling across an old photograph of Pietro and Fria, asking her father who the woman smiling next to him was, and quietly deciding to never ask again.She hated how sad her father sounded when he talked of his old friend.

“You could say that, I suppose.”Fria rests her head against her pillows.Penny instinctively takes Fria’s hand in her own in a comforting gesture.“Things were never going to…” Fria exhales a breath, then turns her eyes to steadily gaze at Penny.“When you’re charged with protecting the entire world, personal matters seldom go as you’d like.When you see your father again, tell him I’m sorry.”

“Maybe you can tell him yourself?”Penny comes to a decision.She may not be able to save Ruby right now, but she can’t just leave Fria here like this.“I can get you out of here.”

Fria chuckles.“No, my child.My time in the world is coming to a close.Here is a good a place as any to make my exit.”

“But, you’d be gone.”Penny isn’t sure how to argue the point.Death is something she has a complicated relationship with, to say the least.

“We all have our times.”Fria takes a deep breath.“Tell me something, if you would.Do you strive to do good in the world?”

“I…”Penny hesitates.“I guess so.I _want_ to.It’s difficult.”She rubs her index finger into the blankets.“Right now, someone who is very dear to me is in a lot of trouble and I…I haven’t been able to help her as much as I want to.”Being here, with Fria, is evidence of Penny’s failure there.She should be with Ruby right now, freeing her.

“It is indeed difficult.The world is vast, and complex.Things often don’t go as we want them to.The important thing to remember-” though Penny was the one to take Fria’s hand as a comforting gesture, it is Fria who gives Penny’s hand a reassuring squeeze, “-is that one must do everything they can to _try._ ”

“What if…?”Penny pauses.“What if it’s not enough?”

Fria smiles at her.“We all need help from time to time.Do you know the story of the old wizard and the Four Maidens?”

Penny nods.The fairytale was always one of her favorites, back in the early days, when she was just an AI program Pietro read children’s stories to.

“Perhaps, like the wizard,” Fria goes on, “what you need to help this dear person of yours is for a Maiden to give you a gift.”Blue flames appear around her eyes.“Just promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll hold on to the ones you love.Closer than I ever did Pietro.Being a protector is a heavy burden to bear, but I’ll tell you a secret.It becomes much lighter when you don’t have to hold it alone.”Fria smiles sadly.“I only wish I’d learned that lesson sooner.Now, are you ready?”

Penny nods.She can’t think of any words to say.

Blue flames falter, and then wink out.A quiet moment passes.Green flames rise and flare brightly.

Knowing Fria will always be with her, as a part of her (in more ways than one), Penny departs.

* * *

Far from where Penny is, Ruby wakes from an uncomfortable sleep.Something feels different.She herself hasn’t changed, but Penny has.She can feel it.

_Penny?_ Worried, Ruby calls out to her friend.

_I’m here,_ Penny replies.

_Are you okay?_

_…I’m not sure._ Penny sends over her memories of what’s happened tonight.Of the old woman, Fria, she found.Of the powerful gift Fria bestowed upon her.Penny is sad, sorrowful.Ruby feels the emotions radiating from her.She reaches out and comforts Penny as best she can.

_I couldn’t find you tonight,_ Penny tells Ruby. _I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come get you on my own._

Ruby’s stomach drops out from under her.Fear at being trapped in the facility forever twists her gut into knotted shapes.

_I think I know another way.I’m not sure if it’ll work.I can’t do without you, either, so you have to be okay with it._ Penny half tells, half shows Ruby in her mind what she’s considering.Ruby agrees to try.

Ruby closes her eyes.From where she is, Penny sends her a gift through their connection.Not a permanent one, nor one Ruby can hold onto for very long, but the gift is attached to Penny’s aura, which is linked with Ruby’s own now.Whenever one of them takes on a burden, the other will share its weight.

Ruby opens her eyes.

Silver fire illuminates the dark room around her like a shining beacon.


	9. Checkmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter officially starts the inclusion of chapters from _WBY's perspective. These chapters will likely follow Watts chapters in the future (instead of preceding them), but I happened to write this one before the next Watts chapter. That, and the Watts chapter will act as a nice buffer between this and Ruby's chapter.
> 
> Also, Watts will probably start sharing his chapters with Ironwood, but more on that next time ;)

_BOOM!_

The passenger airship rocks and shakes.People scream.

“We can’t take another hit like that!”Sun yells.He catches a child who was thrown off balance with his tail and thrusts her in the direction of her mother.Once parent and child are reunited and holding each other tightly, he summons clones and goes to the aid of the other passengers.

_No shit_ , Blake thinks, but doesn’t say.She doesn’t have time.She races forward, lifts Gambol Shroud, and slices through where lancers have hooked the ship.The lancers hiss at her, and back off.For now.They’re far from safe.

Blake narrows her eyes, trying to predict which will be the first to lunge.

“Attention everyone!”It’s Oscar’s voice that comes through the ship’s comms systems, but the fact it’s _calm_ indicates that it’s Ozpin speaking.“We are going to crash land on one of the floating islands.Brace yourselves!”

The ship shudders.Blake barely has time to grab onto the railing.The landing impact vibrates the deck beneath her feet.Blake grits her teeth and holds on.Miraculously, the ship slides to a stop before either rushing off the other side of the small island or exploding.

Blake takes a deep breath to center herself.She shifts her weapon into its gun form, charges toward the approaching lancers, and fires.She hits one and then another.Both dissipate into dust.Her attack got rid of those two, at least, but it seemed to annoy the rest of the swarm.They click their pincers, and dive at her.

Blake gulps, and readies herself.The lancers never reach her.Something large and blindingly bright white drops from the sky.It barrels through three lancers, destroying them.Whatever it is lands, skids, and digs its hooves into the earth of the island.Once its halted, something human-shaped leaps from its back.

Yellow-white light flashes.Some kind of weapon, a whip maybe, snaps out from the person who lands in front of Blake.The whip slaps and slices more of the lancers out of existence.

A small cargo vessel roars overhead.Fireballs and blasts of ice shoot out from its rear cargo door, directly at the lancers.Seeing this new enemy, the swarm forgets about Blake and gives chase.

Blake stares, unbelieving that someone came to their rescue.When they first encountered the lancers, their ship’s original pilot sent out a distress signal.Being over Lake Matsu, they doubted anyone was in range to hear, but they had to try.Blake and Sun would do their best to protect the people they’d been traveling with since soon after they left Menagerie, but realistically they knew their chances weren’t great.

Now the odds are not only in favor of them surviving, but everyone else making it too.

“Hey, Blake, long time no see.”With the beast she rode down from the cargo ship—a glowing white boarbatusk apparently—disappearing behind her, Ilia Amitola of all people, casually approaches Blake like she just happened to see her in the street.“Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Before Blake can think of words to respond, a lancer, one larger than all the rest—the swarm’s _queen_ —emerges out from behind a nearby island.

_“Seriously?!_ ” Ilia grumbles.She holds a hand up to her ear, where Blake can see she has a comm link in.“Hey, snow queen, if there were ever a time to bring out knighty, this’s probably—”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?!!”The answering shout is loud enough that Blake can hear the all too familiar voice clearly despite not being patched in to the conversation.“YOU KNOW THIS ISN’T EASY, AMITOLA!I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY DOING A SUMMONS WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AIR BATTLE!”

Blinding light flashes across the sky a second time.A giant knight, glowing like the boarbatusk before it, leaps from the cargo ship.The knight manifests a massive sword midair and delivers a series of decisive blows upon the lancer queen.Then, it lands on the island, which trembles with the impact, and takes up a defensive stance in front of Blake, Ilia, and everyone gathered behind them.With both swarm and queen destroyed, the battle is over.

The cargo ship comes to hover over the island.Low enough that someone Blake both expects (because she heard and recognized her voice) and can’t believe is actually (because honestly she’s the last person Blake would ever expect) can jump down.Upon hitting the earth, she immediately brushes her combat skirt off.

“Weiss Schnee, everyone.Brutal in a fight, weak against a little dirt.”At first Blake thinks Ilia is making a jab at Weiss, but her smile and tone indicate that she’s teasing.

“I have _standards_.”Weiss huffs.“I’m a huntress.With that title, a certain level of dignity must be maintained.”

Ilia smirks.“Yeah, a huntress who hasn’t graduated from either academy she attended and doesn’t technically have a license.”

“You know what I mean.”Weiss shoots Ilia a look.

Blake wants to say something.She feels like she _should_ say something, but honestly?She has no idea how to react to this new development.Two people she knows _from entirely different chapters of her life_ are standing in front of her, teasing with the familiarity of friends who’ve known each other for months.

Look, if someone ever told Blake she’d one day witness Ilia Amitola, who arguably hates the SDC more than anyone except Adam, and Weiss Schnee, who was once the stuck-up heiress to that very same corporation, joking around after fighting off a swarm of lancers, she wouldn’t have believed them.

“I, uh, hi?”Blake manages to say.Both Ilia and Weiss turn to her.

Ilia opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, Weiss lunges forward and hugs Blake.Blake freezes, her mind slow to process what’s happening.Finally, she hugs Weiss back.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Weiss whispers.

Blake stays quiet.She never thought she’d see Weiss either, after Beacon.Without Yang and Ruby there to be the glue holding team RWBY together, there was nothing really connecting herself and Weiss.They were just too different.Weiss returned to her posh life in Atlas, naturally, and Blake ran home to figure out her next step.Opposite directions.Their paths intersected once, briefly, by chance, but that would be it.

It never occurred to Blake that their time together might mean something more for Weiss.It…well, it had for her, too, yes.Blake loved being a part of RWBY, and that _included_ being with Weiss.She’d been far closer with Yang, and with Ruby, sure, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t grown fond of Weiss (eventually, after her initial impression of Weiss faded and she adopted the word, ‘defiance’, to describe her).The holes the sisters left in Blake’s heart simply were a little too consuming to allow her any extra consideration for the pain she felt over the loss of the third member of her team.

Blake hugs Weiss a little tighter.“I missed you too.”

“So…” Ilia cuts in in a voice that conveys she’s trying not to be awkward about it.“Want to tell me how you two know each other?”

Weiss steps back, smiles softly at Blake, and then turns to Ilia.“You remember how I said you weren’t the Faunus I’ve ever been on a team with?”

“You’re _joking_.”

Before Blake could confirm Weiss isn’t, Sun jogs up to them.“Hey, guys!Sorry to interrupt this happy reunion, but, if you have a working airship, we could really use a ride?”He gestures back to the group of passengers from the downed ship.

Weiss glances back at the cargo ship she and Ilia arrived in.“I’m not sure we can fit this many people aboard.We could fly on ahead call for help?Once we get to the shoreline, we should be close enough to get a signal through to Mistral.”

“That’s a good idea.We need to get everyone to safety.”Blake nods.Her gaze wanders back to where Oscar is standing between their small group and the passengers.“We have a lot we need to talk about, as well.”

* * *

As the sun slowly dips closer to the horizon, three Mistral airships approach one of the floating islands over Lake Matsu.They pick up the exhausted group that’s been waiting for them for hours.Communal relief washes over everyone gathered.They’re safe now.Relatively speaking, that is.There’s always danger lurking over the next hill, but, at least they’re no longer sitting ducks waiting for another swarm of lancers to find them.

Blake reaches out a hand and helps Ilia climb aboard.Before the chameleon Faunus can join their other friends, Blake stops her.“Ilia, there’s something I have to tell—”

“I’m not with the White Fang,” Ilia blurts.“At least not the part that attacked Beacon.Weiss told me what they did.”She averts her gaze.“Humans need to be held accountable.We need _justice_ , but not like that.” Ilia looks back at Blake.“I saw a recording of the speech you gave at the press conference on Menagerie, too.It was inspiring.”She lets out an awkward, little laugh.“I never could have opened up like that.”Ilia takes a deep breath.“It— _you_ —got me thinking.We can reclaim the White Fang!We could find Adam.I haven’t heard much from him since I was assigned to go to Atlas, but I’m sure he’d join us.We could return our movement back to what it’s _supposed_ to be.We could do some _real_ good for the Faunus, and—”

“Ilia.”

So caught up in finally saying the speech she’d prepared in her head over and over again to Blake, Ilia hadn’t noticed the sorrowful expression that overtook her friend’s face.“What is it?” 

Blake takes a breath to steady herself.“Adam was there.At Beacon.He led the White Fang in the attack and let Grimm onto the school grounds.My father talked about it during his portion of the conference.”

When Blake herself spoke, back on Menagerie, her goal had been to rally the Faunus to come to Haven’s aid.She’d told her people about her experiences as a member of the White Fang and as a student of Beacon during the Fall, but largely left her personal relationship with Adam out of it. _That_ was a wound still too open and personal to share publicly.“He’s not like you remember.I’m…I’m not sure he was ever like that to begin with.I know it’s hard to hear, but Adam is—he’s _spite_.All he wants is to bring pain.He’s going to attack Haven just like he did Beacon.”Tears well in Blake’s eyes.“Please, I—I can’t lose you too.”

Ilia is silent.Her face portrays every emotion as she feels them; disbelief, horror, sadness, and finally fear.“I…” she looks at her hands.“I believe you.I don’t want to.I _really_ don’t want to, but you’ve never lied to me and I…” Ilia wipes her eyes, and flicks salty wetness off her fingers.“What do we do now?”She asks in a shaky voice.

“Sun and I are traveling to Mistral to warn them about the attack, and defend Haven when it comes.My parents are training a new militia back on Menagerie.We _are_ starting up a new movement.”Blake smiles.“And we’d love to have you.”

Ilia smiles back.“I’d love to join.”

They embrace, hold each other a long moment, and then go join Sun, Weiss, and Oscar where they’ve decided to settle for the long flight to Mistral.

* * *

“We are absolutely _not_ calling ourselves _that_ ,” Weiss says to Sun with a huff. 

“Aww, come on!We totally have to have a team name!”Sun protests.“We have a _Schnee_ and three Faunus.If that’s not the perfect setup, I don’t know what is.Just think about the headlines!”He wraps an arm around Weiss’s shoulders, ignores her glower, and gestures wildly with his other hand.“Schnee Heiress joins all-Faunus team.It would piss your dad off, right?”

Blake leans back, relaxes, and listens to her friends tease each other.It’s nice to have a distraction, just for a moment.She’s made it through the first hard task she needed to do, telling Ilia about Adam, but there’s still a lot left they have to discuss.

Blake’s gaze wanders over to Oscar.Yes, she and Sun left Menagerie soon after learning the White Fang intends to attack Haven Academy.The apprehension of Corsac Albain after a failed attempt to kidnap her, and the evidence they acquired from his scroll, gave them everything they needed to know about the direness of the situation.

Or, they thought it did.

Meeting a farm boy struggling to buy a ticket to Mistral, who had taken one look at Blake and _recognized_ her, despite her never meeting him before in her life, had changed things quite a lot.

Oscar revealing himself as the reincarnation of Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon, is something Blake is still adjusting to.Despite witnessing Ozpin take control of Oscar (with permission, of course) and speaking to her about things only Ozpin would know about (like how he bent the rules to let RWBY go on their mission with Oobleck), she finds it hard to believe.A person having two souls is something someone would read about in books, something she _had_ read about in a book. _Not_ reality.And yet…

Delicately, Weiss removes Sun’s arm from her person.“ _Former_ heiress, and yes, yes it would certainly annoy Father.”She cracks a small smile.“So, I suppose it wouldn’t be _that_ bad.Temporarily.”

Ilia laughs.“Team BASS does have a nice ring to it.What do you think, Blake?Fishy enough?”

“Hmm?”Blake comes out of her thoughts.“Oh, uh, sure,” she offers, hoping to not be pulled deeper into the conversation.It’s not a bad team name, but this group isn’t truly a team. 

When they reach Haven, which will be in a matter of hours now, Sun plans on reaching out to the rest of Team SSSN for help in the coming battle.Once reunited with Scarlet, Sage, and Neptune, he’ll probably fully rejoin his own team.Her and Weiss are still, despite everything, a part of Team RWBY too.

Although, without Ruby, RWBY _is_ down a member and Weiss out a partner.There’s few Blake can think of who could, or who she’d even _want_ , to fill that hole.Ilia is as probably as close to a perfect new fourth team member as they can get.She’s already sort of Weiss’s partner too.

_That assumes Yang will want to rejoin us_ , Blake reminds herself. _After I left her._

It’s a choice she hates herself for.Blake knows Yang has issues with being left behind, after what happened with her birth mother.She knows Yang would have been struggling after Beacon, after losing both her arm and her _sister_.She knows she could have used Blake being there for her, as her friend, as her partner, as her…

After Beacon, Blake had been drowning in her own self-loathing, hatred, and guilt.Adam never would have hurt Yang if it wasn’t for her.Yang would be safer, _better off_ , without her, she’d thought.It had taken Sun and her parents’ support to make her see things differently.Now, all she can do is hope when she sees Yang again, and Blake _will_ see Yang again (no matter what else, she’s promised herself that she’ll seek Yang out after Haven is safe), Yang will forgive her.

_I don’t deserve it, though,_ A quiet voice whispers in Blake’s head. _What kind of person thinks about replacing someone’s sister on their team after she dies?What kind of person is that callous?_

Granted, having Ilia join RWBY honestly has less to do with them absolutely needing a fourth teammate and more to do with Blake just really, _really_ wanting to keep her loved ones as close as possible, still _._ No one can truly take Ruby’s place.Ever.She shouldn’t even be _thinking_ of such a thing.Blake’s breath hitches in her throat.

“You okay?”Weiss gently picks up Blake’s hand in her own and gives it a comforting squeeze.

Blake replies, “Yeah, um, I’m fine,” knowing she doesn’t sound believable.

“You know, it’s okay if you’re not.”

Blake nods, not trusting herself to speak.She focuses on Weiss’s earrings.For the first time, she notices their ruby red color.Her sight goes blurry.“I…”

_I miss her.I don’t deserve to.I left her sister all alone.I was barely her friend while we were on a team together, but…I miss Ruby._

Blake is being hugged before she can truly process it.Weiss’s arms are around her, and then Ilia’s.Sun has a reassuring hand on her back.Oscar hovers nearby.The other three are positioned in such a way that he can’t get close to her, and Blake knows he’s uncertain on if he should really try or not.

“Don’t try and argue that you don’t deserve this or anything, cause you do,” Sun mumbles in one of Blake’s cat ears.

She can’t help but let out a pained laugh.“Thanks, guys.”

Weiss sits back.She makes eye contact with Blake and holds it steadily.“We’re here for you, so you better not forget it.”She jabs a finger into Blake’s chest.

Blake wipes her eyes.“I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Blake says firmly.

* * *

Weiss pushes the cardboard-like lasagna the ship’s crew gave them for a dinner meal around her tray.Blake shuffles over to sit next to her and place a hand on her shoulder.There’s no easy way to find out the huntsmen academies guard ancient relics, and an immortal who controls the Grimm named Salem is after them and won’t stop destroying schools until she has all four.

It’s something Ozpin had hesitated to tell her and Sun, and really only did because they kept asking questions.Once Oscar joined their cause, he finally conceded and trusted them with the truth.Most of it, at least.Although Blake has a feeling there’s more to it, personally for Ozpin, than what he’s has let on so far, she understands wanting to keep some things in the past.The question of why the gods would bestow the task of protecting the relics upon Ozpin specifically can wait until he’s ready to tell them.

“So, the attack on Beacon, it was all just to obtain some dusty old relic?”Weiss forcefully cuts up a lasagna noodle into little bits with her fork.She makes no move to eat any of it.

“Yes,” Ozpin, in control of him and Oscar for the time being, replies.“Though the Relic of Choice is no dusty, old object, but something with incredible magic and power.It should not be taken lightly.”

“And an evil immortal lady has it now.Great,” Weiss grumbles.“Perfect.”

“No.”Ozpin smirks, just a little.“Salem does not have the Relic of Choice.Let’s just say I made finding it a bit more challenging than at the other schools.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?!”Weiss snaps.“People are _dead_.My partner—my _best friend_ —is dead.Beacon is _destroyed_.But it’s all okay because Salem didn’t succeed in getting what she wanted?!”

Ozpin sighs.“The situation at Beacon is bad, there’s no denying that.What happened that night was a tragedy.I am truly sorry to hear about Ruby Rose’s passing.”He raises a hand to stop Weiss from protesting more.“I say these things not to deter your hurt and anger, but to hopefully direct them toward something a little more…productive.”When Weiss doesn’t make a move to argue more, he continues, “We are traveling to Haven because it is Salem’s next target.”Ozpin turns to nod at Blake and Sun.“The confirmation that the White Fang plans to attack the school all but confirms that.It is true we— _I—_ failed to stop Salem once already, but that is why it’s imperative that we not fail again.I would ask that you join our fight.However, it certainly is understandable if you’d decide not to.”

“Oh, I’m _in_ this fight,” Weiss retorts.She gestures to Ilia.“We were already going to Haven because it was our only lead to find who was responsible for Beacon.I don’t think I have to convince anyone here that I’m prepared to fight the White Fang either.”She pauses, and then adds, “Though not the Faunus as a whole.They’re alright.”

Sun lets out an awkward laugh.Ilia smirks.Blake just pats Weiss on the shoulder.

“My point _is_ I’m going to find whoever killed Ruby at the top of Beacon Tower and make them pay for it,” Weiss finishes.“Bringing down ancient evil is just icing on the cake.”

“Wait, you’re saying Ruby Rose died at the top of Beacon Tower?Can you tell me what exactly—“

Before Ozpin can finish his question, someone yells, “SMOKE!There’s smoke over there!”

The group joins the growing collection of people at the windows.Indeed, against the dark backdrop of night, a large pillar of thick smoke is visibly billowing up into the sky.

“What do you think happened?”

“Grimm attack maybe?”

“Oh, I feel terribly sorry for whoever was there…”

Amidst the murmurs of conversation, Blake makes eye contact with each of her friends.They nod back at her their agreement.“Captain!”She calls over to the woman in charge of the ship.“We’ll investigate.”

After confirming that the other two ships they’re traveling with will stay on course for Mistral, the captain gives the temporarily formed Team BASS the go ahead.Their airship shifts directions and heads toward the smoke pillar.It stops a safe distance away, lets Blake and the others off, and they approach the rest of the way on foot.

Whatever battle happened is already long over by the time they reach the clearing that used to be a bandit camp.Even the Grimm are gone.All that remains is the rubble of tents, a destroyed perimeter wall, and a massive bonfire in the middle of it all.

A man holding a massive scythe is silhouetted against the flames.“Bout time someone showed up.I’ve been at this for hours,” he speaks to them while gesturing at the bonfire.“You’d think Mistral would want to see the last of the Branwen tribe for themselves.”He coughs into his hand, and then wipes what might be his blood onto his pants.“Not one of them, anymore at least.Look I have an important message for Professor Lionheart, so take me prisoner or whatever, just get me medical attention.”He gestures wildly to the bandages sloppily applied to his torso.“I’d rather not die before telling him what’s coming, after all this.”

Then, before anyone can reply, the man drops to the ground, unconscious.

It’s when they get him back to the lit airship and out of the cover of night, that Weiss recognizes him as Ruby and Yang’s Uncle Qrow.


	10. Irreconcilable

_Some days after the Fall of Beacon,_

Ironwood takes the plate of chocolate chip cookies out of his personal, state of the art microwave.He examines them.They aren’t the best cookies, but that would require him to go further than the academy cafeteria.These ones will suffice for his purposes.He places the plate on his desk, centers it, retrieves a jug of milk from his office’s mini fridge, and pours a glass.

Cookies and milk aren’t a snack Ironwood personally prefers, but he has intel to suggest they’re preferred by his coming guest.He does want to make her feel as comfortable as possible.The transition in coming to Atlas can’t have been easy for her, even if she wasn’t conscious for most of it.

If he’s being honest with himself, Ironwood is grateful for that.From what Ederne and Zeki have reported about her, Ruby Rose hasn’t exactly been cooperative since she first woke up.She’s manageable, his operatives assure him.They’re more than capable of handling a little teenage angst.She’s just not taking the abrupt change in her living situation too well.

If she’d been awake during the flight to Atlas, things likely wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as they did. 

As much as he would have liked to, Ironwood couldn’t have just taken Ruby aboard his personal ship and flown her to Atlas himself.Being both Headmaster and General brings too much attention to him.Someone would have noticed he’s _personally_ escorting a student home, gossip would fuel rumors about her identity, and the operation would end before it even began.No, if this, if their best— _last_ —hope in the fight against Salem, was to work, absolutely no one could recognize Ruby until he had her safely in Atlas.

Of his Ace Operatives, Elm Ederne and Vine Zeki had been the ones to join the Atlas delegation for the Vytal Festival.Ironwood needed Ebi back home, as he was one of a select few the general trusts to watch over his kingdom in his absence.Amin was still too _green_ to represent the best of their kingdom well to the rest of the world.And Bree, well, for all Harriet Bree was a great asset, Ironwood had concerns about her ability to stay on task during a competition.

In the end, Ironwood considered it fortunate that it was Ederne and Zeki who’d been with him.Ederne had the right diposition to care for a young, teenage girl during an unexpected, unexplained transition.Zeki had the ability to emotionally distance himself from his assignments and, therefore, act in a more levelheaded fashion should the need arise.Neither would question the order when Ironwood asked them to quietly escort Ruby to Atlas.Unlike him, they would not draw too much attention.They would be discreet.She would be safe.That was all that mattered.

Everything had been taken into account, except the problems Ruby herself could cause.For that, Ironwood is eternally grateful that she hadn’t woken up until _after_ her arrival in Atlas.If she’d protested, loudly, mid-flight, at the exact wrong moment, when a comm link to another ship was open, and been _heard…_ well, Ironwood doesn’t completely control every single individual in his military.If the wrong person happened to hear Ruby Rose’s protests and decided to report the occurrence to someone outside the military’s ranks, then she could be taken from him and, again, all hope lost.

But, luckily, nothing like that occurred.Everything can continue as planned.

As a final preparation for the coming conversation, Ironwood takes a rare newsprint clipping out of his desk drawer and places it to the side.Its texture feels foreign under his fingers.Almost no papers in Atlas actually print things out anymore, but then, this isn’t a clipping from an Atlesian source and Patch, though close in proximity to a kingdom, has always struck Ironwood as a bit behind technologically, even before the Fall.

Ironwood straightens himself in his seat.He takes a breath.This conversation won’t be easy, but it’s necessary.

After a polite knock, the door to his office opens.His guests have arrived.

Ruby, thankfully, looks to be in better health than the last time Ironwood saw her.Although the Atlesian cadet uniform she’s been given does nothing for her already pale complexion, there’s a healthy flush to her cheeks.She looks around the room cautiously, but doesn’t enter until Zeki nudges her gently from behind.Ruby stumbles.She shoots a glare behind her at her temporary caretaker, who shoots her a stern look back.

Ironwood coughs, drawing attention to himself.

Ruby turns, sees him.Her eyes widen.“General Ironwood?”She begins hesitantly.“What happened?Why am I here, in Atlas, I mean?They won’t tell me anything.”Ruby gestures to Zeki, and Ederne, who followed them into the office.

“Ms. Rose, please sit down.”Ironwood gestures to the chair he’s placed on the opposite side of his desk for this occasion.“I am glad to see you’ve recovered well.”

When it’s clear nothing more will be said until she does as instructed, Ruby comes forward and plops herself down.Out of habit, she reaches for the hem of a cloak that’s no longer there.It’s unfortunate that they had to take it from her, but it made her too recognizable.

“Please, help yourself.”Ironwood gestures to the plate of cookies he acquired specifically for her.

Ruby eyes the cookies.Her gaze darts up at Ironwood, and then back to the treats again.She leans forward, picks one up, and begins tentatively nibbling on it.

Ironwood clasps his hands together on his desk.“Ruby, I need you to understand that everything I’ve done is to ensure your wellbeing and safety.”He pauses and gestures for Ederne and Zeki to leave.Silver eyes aren’t something they need to know about.

Ruby drops her hands, still holding the cookie, to her lap.“Please, what’s happened at Beacon?Is it—is _Vale_...” She chokes up.Her eyes begin to water.Ruby hastily wipes the tears away before they can fall.She takes a deep breath.“Where are my friends?My family?Were they evacuated too?”

Ironwood nods.“Yes, as far as I’m aware, Beacon Academy has been completely evacuated.The situation there is still dire, but Gly—Professor Goodwitch assured me Vale’s forces have the Grimm situation under control before I returned to Atlas.”

Glynda hadn’t so much reassured him as very pointedly ordered him to _get out of her kingdom_.His military, which she’d described with a colorful selection of curse words, had done enough.Vale didn’t need _his_ help.

“Your family is home safe on Patch,” Ironwood goes on calmly.“Your sister…” he pauses, unsure of the exact phrasing he should use.“Was injured.She lost an arm.I had a state-of-the-art prosthetic made and sent to her.She fought bravely.”

“Oh.”Ruby’s voice is so soft Ironwood barely hears it.

“She’ll make a full recovery.Heal, in time.”Ironwood himself had, and his prosthetics were far more extensive than Yang Xiao Long’s.“Now, I’m sure you’re glad to hear that, but there’s a much more important matter I wanted to talk to you about here today.”

Ruby blinks at him.“What?”

“The reason why I brought you to Atlas, Ruby,” Ironwood tells her firmly, “is because you’re special, and not in the philosophical way every individual person is special.You have silver eyes.”

“So?”Ruby’s brows furrow together in confusion. 

Ironwood grimaces.“Ozpin never told you, did he?”The thought irritates him.To have someone with such a powerful ability at one’s academy and _not_ take steps to foster its development, what had Oz been thinking?Had he even known about Ruby?It was absurd to think he hadn’t.Despite his flaws, Ozpin would never have let something like a silver-eyed student slip by his notice.Ironwood sighs.Regardless, it falls on him to explain to her, now.Where to start?

Ironwood looks at Ruby, who’s watching him with an apprehensive expression written across her face.He takes a breath.“Do you know recall what you did at the top of Beacon Tower?”

“What I did?”Ruby’s hands tremble in her lap.

“What’s the last thing you remember about that night?” Ironwood presses.It would be good if she can recall how she used her silver eyes the first time.Both because it would help her understand what has fallen to him to explain and because, if she could recount what she did the first time, reproducing the results would be that much easier.

“I…” Ruby gulps.She looks down at her hands.Her hair falls in front of her face.“I ran up the side of the tower.On Weiss’s glyphs.Jaune said Pyrrha went after that woman, Cinder, and…”Her voice shakes.“When I got to the top, Pyrrha, she was…” Ruby wraps her arms around herself tightly.“I don’t remember after that,” she whispers.Tears roll down her cheeks.“Everything went white and my head hurt and then I was here and—what happened?Pyrrha, is she—?”Ruby chokes on a sob.

It’s unfortunate, Ironwood briefly muses, that Ruby doesn’t know how exactly she used her eyes for the first time.He holds back a sigh, but answers her questions regardless.“Yes.Pyrrha Nikos was declared dead at Beacon.”Ironwood considers a long moment, and then walks around his desk to stand next to Ruby.“I’m sorry.I know how hard it is to lose a friend.”He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, and waits for her crying to subside before continuing. 

“But, you need to understand Ms. Nikos’s death was not in vain.That night, that _moment_ , you did something, Ruby.Something that changes _everything_.You petrified a Grimm wyvern, paralyzing it in solid stone, with a single _look_.”Ironwood kneels down in front of Ruby.“You have a gift that can help us fight the Grimm, and their mistress.Your silver eyes, and the power they hold, are the key to making the world a better place.”Ironwood takes some tissues off his desk and wipes Ruby’s tears away.“That’s why I brought you to Atlas.To keep you safe while we figure out how to unlock and use your powers.”

After a long, silent moment, Ruby speaks, “Okay.So, how do I do that?If I have this special power thingy, then I want to use it to help people.”

Ironwood smiles.“Good.I’ve made arrangements.”He stands back up.“You’ll be training under one of my best agents, Dr. Watts.I believe he can help you reach your full potential.”

Turning his back to Ruby, Ironwood walks back around his desk again.He glances at the newspaper clipping he acquired during his recent trip to Patch.It’s relieving he didn’t have to use it. 

“What about my family?”Ruby asks quietly.“Can I see them?”She stares at her hands.“I get that I have this rare special power thing, I guess, and it needs to be protected, but couldn’t I have learned to use it at home?I’ve lived on Patch my whole life.Nothing ever happens there.It’s safe.My dad’s a teacher.My Uncle Qrow, too, although he doesn’t really like it.”Ruby smiles for the first time since she walked into Ironwood’s office.“But I’m his one exception,” she states proudly.“He’s the one who taught me how to use a scythe and—”

“No.”Ironwood cuts her off.So much for not _going there_.Then again, the topic was probably going to come up sooner or later.Maybe it’s best to get it out of the way now.“Training to use the power of the silver eyes will go far beyond anything you’ve done before, far beyond what _any_ of your past teachers can help you with.Not only that, but there are those who would seek you out and harm you for yours.Atlas has the best security of any of the kingdoms.The only way to guarantee your safety is to have you _here_.”

Ironwood sighs, picks the newspaper clipping, and holds it out to Ruby.“Additionally, I’ve already taken steps to ensure none of our enemies would even consider hunting you down.I’m sorry if it appears drastic, but you do not yet know the full extent of their reach or what they’re capable of.This is for the best.”

He ignores her whimpered cry.It can’t be easy to read one’s own obituary.

* * *

_Present Day_

Ironwood leans back in his seat and frowns at the files pulled up on his computer screen.All Watts’s Project Silver reports and proposals are short and to the point.Ironwood always appreciated that.He doesn’t have time to read through pages-long summaries of Ruby’s progress.All he really ever needed to know was that Ruby continued to make progress each day, and about any potential developments toward figuring out what exactly fuels the silver eyes and if it can be otherwise manipulated.

Silver-eyed people, after all, are hard to come by, and guns, at least in Atlas, certainly are not.If they can replicate the power of the silver eyes and use it as a power source for their weaponry, clearing Grimm-infested locations would be far simpler than it currently is.Casualties, too, would drastically go down.

Ironwood sighs.None of that is in reach now that Watts’s past _two_ experiments failed so spectacularly.He’d been uncertain, sure, when Watts initially proposed that he go about aiding Ruby’s development of her powers through experimentation.Honestly, Ironwood originally had something closer to standard training in mind.But Watts was a scientist and Ironwood trusts him.If experimentation was the methodology Arthur thought would work best, Ironwood would allow it. 

Not anymore.Once the situation in the aura machine lab was fully under control (and Pietro Polendina was calmed from his panicking about the state Penny was in), Ironwood sat down with all the paperwork Watts had provided him with during the course of Project Silver and read through each file thoroughly (whereas he’d only previously skimmed them really).His goal was to fully understand where Ruby’s progress was at, and then map out a new trajectory for its future.

Thus far, Ironwood hasn’t learned much.Most of Watts’s experiments bordered on repetition.Have Ruby fight various types of Grimm in combat to see if that triggered her silver eyes.Almost every time, it hadn’t.Ironwood hadn’t questioned the method before now mostly out of curiosity toward how Watts managed to keep the Grimm in captivity.He’d hoped continuing to allow Watts to work uninhibited would reveal something, a hidden step in the scientist’s technique, that explained that particular phenomenon.But, just like with the silver eyes, Ironwood has almost no answers to show and only a significant amount of wasted time for his efforts.

The only parts of Project Silver that appear to have been remotely successful were the times Penny was included in it.The first one, Experiment 201, had functioned under the hypothesis that an abrupt appearance from a familiar face would trigger Ruby into using her power.The idea behind it being that Ruby’s shock at seeing Pyrrha at the top of Beacon Tower had been what caused her to activate her silver eyes that first time and partially replicating those circumstances would draw a similar reaction from her.It had been their first real success.

In a similar sense, Experiment 203, this last one that had involved the aura transfer machine, had been at least _partially_ successful.Seeing Penny under duress had caused Ruby to use her silver eyes again.That proved definitively that seeing those she cared about in danger from Grimm would lead to Ruby using her powers, whether she was actively trying to or not.

It’s good information to have, but it doesn’t necessarily _do_ much.Ironwood isn’t keen on conducting more experiments, given the amount of lab damage it had taken to get to this point.Sure, the aura transfer machine he’d authorized Watts to use was a backup in the event the one they kept with Fria failed, but now they have nothing to fall back on there.

Of course, then there’s the experiment between their two relative successes.202, where Ruby had refused to participate.Watts’s reaction to her refusal was…unfortunate, and also part of the reason Ironwood had already started considering taking Watts off the project before this last experiment and its destruction.He could _understand_ frustration, but taking it _that_ far pushed toward abuse.

Ironwood pointedly isn’t allowing himself to consider the possibility that his lack of oversight on Project Silver up to now had allowed for similar instances to have occurred previously to the one he witnessed.

That’s not the _point_ , which is to figure out the next step regarding Ruby.Involving Penny would be wise, Ironwood decides.Both because of her involvement in the few successes they’ve had and because allowing Ruby a friend (who’s completely under his control) could curb any future rebellious actions from Ms. Rose.It would mean cancelling his plan to announce Penny’s rebuilding to the public and declaring her the official Protector of Mantle, but he’d figure out something else to appease the handful of city blocks affected by his repurposing of resources for the Amity Arena project.

Enrolling the two of them in Atlas Academy is a possibility.The remaining members of Team WITE still haven’t been reassigned new teammates.Ruby and Penny would have a place, and the ability to continue training.Under supervision, of course.Although he’d have to come up with a new name and identity for Ruby, given ‘Ruby Rose’ still technically died at Beacon.

Ironwood frowns.Perhaps not _yet_.He’s confident Ruby will fall in line given enough time, but allowing her too much freedom too early on could be…disastrous.Putting her in the academy _now_ could remove too much of the firm structure she needs to grow far too soon.

He’ll come up with something else for the time being.

After closing the Project Silver files and locking his computer, Ironwood gets up.He glances out his office windows, at the peaceful night sky.It’s late, Ruby is likely asleep, but he doesn’t need to wake her to check on her condition.Ironwood sets off.

He almost reaches the medical wing where he had Ruby taken after the last experiment when the floor beneath his feet rumbles and vibrates.Ironwood stops, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun.

The wall of the hallway where he’s headed explodes.

Ironwood shields his face with his arms.Debris flies past him.He waits for the dust to settle.Only when he’s certain no flying projectile will hit him in the head, does he move, unholstering his gun, and aiming it in front of him.

A bare foot steps out of the newly made hole in the wall.A second follows it, careful not to step on anything too sharp.

Ruby, dressed only in her hospital gown and pants, looks first down the corridor away from Ironwood and then in his direction.He sees the fire around her eyes, knows what it means, but doesn’t have the presence of mind to question it or why bright green tinges the borders of the silver flames.

“Ruby,” Ironwood addresses her.“I know this must be startling.I can help you.Calm down and—”

“No,” Ruby cuts him off.“I.Want.To.Go. _Home_.”

“That’s not possible.You know it’s not.You have to stay here, where you’ll be safe.”

Instead of answering him, Ruby raises one hand.Ironwood braces himself for a fire blast that never comes.When he recovers, he finds, instead, his legs up to his knees have been encased in ice, freezing him to the spot.

Ruby is gone.

Ironwood groans.This is going to be a long night.He alerts the AceOps through his comms.

“We have a runaway.Your assistance is required in apprehending and returning her to the academy safely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a heads up, chapters from here on out will follow the sequence:
> 
> 1\. Ruby POV Chapter  
> 2\. Penny POV Chapter  
> 3\. Atlesian (alternating Watts and Ironwood, mostly) POVs Chapter  
> 4\. Team _WBY alternating POVs Chapter
> 
> *depending on how things go, Taiyang and JNR could also have scenes in the _WBY chapters.
> 
> *since this arc (chs. 7-10) already has one of each pov, Ch11 will start a new sequence set and return to Ruby's POV.


	11. Indomitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Notes for: panic attacks, anxiety, freezing temperatures (or being at risk for hypothermia, if briefly), and I kinda want to add a general 'Atlas is kinda a surveillance state' note, but I feel like we all already know that.

Ruby skids to a stop at the end of the hallway she’s been running down.She looks to the right, then the left.Both her options for which way to run next look exactly the same.She searches, tries to find any distinguishing features, but comes up empty.It’s just nondescript, windowless, white-walled corridors, without any sort of marker on which way it might be to the exit, extending as far as she can see. 

_Penny, I don’t—there’s nothing!_

Ruby attempts, and fails, to get her heart rate under control.She looks over her shoulder for General Ironwood, but he hasn’t appeared yet.He’s coming though.She heard the loud crunching and cracking sounds of the ice she trapped him in as she fled.It won’t take him long to catch up with her and, unlike her, he has a weapon.

Ruby glances down at her hands.The maiden powers are still with her.She could blast through walls until she reaches the outside world…

Except that would probably destroy the structural integrity of Atlas Academy itself.As much as Ruby currently dislikes being here, the academy is still home to hundreds of students who have nothing to do with what’s happened to her.She’s not going to hurt them if she can help it. 

She groans, and shuts her eyes for a second.Beacon hadn’t been this hard to navigate.Okay, maybe a little, in the beginning, but she’d figured it out quickly enough.Atlas Academy, by comparison, is a nightmare.A terrible, twisting, labyrinthine nightmare.

_Ruby,_ comes the soothing presence of Penny in her head. _It’s okay.Stay calm._

_I know.I know._ Ruby chooses the left corridor and starts running again. _It’s hard.I’m scared, Penny.If they catch me, if I can’t get to you, or you to me first, and they—I can’t go back._

The corridor Ruby chose empties out into a lobby with stiff looking seats set up in a lounge space, albeit one where comfort was discarded for practicality.She stops.

_Do you recognize this area at all?_ Ruby asks Penny while sending over a mental image of her surroundings.

_That’s a computer lab over to your left, I think,_ Penny replies. _It looks like the type of ones that are open to both student and faculty use.So, you’re in an academy common area.That’s good!It narrows things down.I just have to cross reference what common areas are located close to medical wings to know which you might’ve been in and where you are now._

_Okay._ Ruby paces.She hates pausing like this, but, on her own, she’d probably just continue to be lost.She needs to know _the right way to go._

Ruby takes a calming breath.Ironwood hasn’t caught up to her yet.There’s no alarms blaring.She’s fine.She’s _fine_.She can still get out of here.Make it back home.She _will_ make it back home.

Ruby’s eyes land back on the computer lab.It occurs to her that she could send a message out.Maybe to Weiss?She has to be in Atlas, right?Surely, she’d help.Plus, she’s a _Schnee_ and they have like a lot of power here, so maybe—

_You’d need to login to a user account,_ Penny interrupts Ruby’s train of thought.Since they’re talking in their heads, she has no tone of voice, but Penny’s words come across as sad, apologetic, regardless. _I have one, but it notifies Ironwood whenever I’m active and he has to give confirmation before any message I want to send goes through._

_Oh._

_Yeah.I’m sorry, Ruby._ There’s a pause from Penny, before she adds, _I know where the Schnee Mansion is though.Once we’re out of the academy, I could take you there, if you’re certain Weiss will help?_

_Yes._ Ruby can’t help but smile thinking of her partner, and how shocked she’ll be to see Ruby here in Atlas.Well that, and also _alive_.

Ruby’s smile falls away.She’s tried so hard not to consider what it means that everyone she cares about (well everyone she cares about excluding Penny) believes her dead.That they’ve probably _mourned_ her.Maybe even moved on.She didn’t know Weiss and Blake very long, after all.Why would they—

_Weiss will help_ , Ruby tells herself resolutely. _She will.And she’ll use her Schnee connections to help you get home, and you’ll see Dad and Yang again, and Blake probably stuck around with Yang on Patch too, so she’ll be there, and it’ll be a great big reunion, and…_

_I’ll be the one who came back._

Ruby shoves away the thought as soon as she’s had it.Dad and Yang always tried to shield her from knowing how much Raven abandoning them and Mom never coming back from her last mission affected them.She picked up on their sorrow anyway.Seen the grief written across their faces in those moments when they thought she wasn’t looking.She’d promised herself, ever since she was a small child, that she wouldn’t hurt them like that, wouldn’t _leave_ like that.

Except she _had_.

She’s here, and they think she’s _dead_ , and, and, and…

_You’ll be with your family again, Ruby._ Penny’s presence in her head sweeps Ruby up, warm and comforting. _I promise.We’ll get you home to them._

Ruby sniffles.She wipes the tears from her eyes before they can fall.She takes a breath. _Do you know where I am yet?_

_I’ve got it down to three possibilities.Can you see anything that says a building name or floor level?_

Looking around, Ruby notices an elevator bank on the other side of the lobby area from the computer lab.She makes her way over to it.On a small, black square next to one set of elevator doors, is a capital ‘G’ followed by the number, 32.Ruby relays this information to Penny.

_That’s the G Sector possibility!_ Penny shouts happily in Ruby’s head. _You’re on the 32_ _nd_ _Floor.I’ve plotted a route for you to get out.Just follow these instructions—_

Before Penny can give Ruby her first direction, a light above one of the elevators comes on.A sharp, cheerful _ding_ cuts through the silence.

Ruby’s eyes go wide.Instinctively she uses her semblance to dive behind one of the seats in the lounge space.Her heart hammers so loudly she’s sure it can be heard.

The elevator doors softly slide open.A pair of heels click against the tile floor.They walk slowly.Far too slowly.

Ironwood doesn’t wear heels, Ruby tells herself.It’s probably just some random faculty person out doing official faculty stuff.In the middle of the night, which, okay, is kind of odd, but then academy faculty _can_ be kind of odd, given Oobleck exists.Although he’s a Beacon professor, and this is Atlas, which is far more strict and stern and…

The footsteps walk around the lounge area, coming closer to Ruby.She tenses.They don’t know she’s here, she tells herself.They aren’t looking for her.They have their own business.They’ll leave.

They don’t.

Pressing herself to the ground, Ruby looks through the gap between the seat she’s hiding behind and the floor.She can see the pair of heels come to a stop right on the other side.

“I know you’re there,” a sharp, female voice informs Ruby.“I can hear you breathing.Come out.You won’t get in trouble for whatever prank you’re up to, so long as you haven’t already—”

Ruby runs.She sees a hallway—not the same one she entered from—and charges toward it.

“Hey!Stop!Stop this instant!”Heels Lady, whoever she is, gives chase.

Ruby refuses to listen.She can’t afford to.

She isn’t given a choice.

Something blindingly bright suddenly appears in front of her.Ruby has no chance to stop herself before she slams into it.It takes hold of her.She struggles, but it—a glowing white, beowulf alpha—has her firmly locked in its jaws.

Ruby gasps for breath.No, it can’t end like this.She has to escape!

Heels Lady approaches, and Ruby can see her face.She _recognizes_ her.Whoever Heels Lady is, she’s seen her before.But where?

“Now, I’m going to assume that you ran purely out of panic.I won’t hold it against you as I consider your punishment _if_ you tell me exactly what it is you’re doing out of your dorm at this hour.”Heels Lady speaks in a stern, but familiar tone.One that kind of reminds Ruby of Weiss. 

Something clicks in Ruby’s brain.“You’re Weiss’s sister!”She cries.Relief and desperation twist into a completely new emotion within her.“Please, you have to help me!I’m Ruby!We met before, at Beacon!There was an airship and it was really awkward and, and I’m Weiss’s partner! On Team RWBY!”

Winter glares down at Ruby.“Ruby Rose is _dead_.You will do well not to impersonate those who valiantly fought and died at Beacon just to appeal to my sympathies.Now, my patience is wearing thin.Tell me what your prank is or there will be harsh consequences.”

“I’m not lying! _Please_!I really am Ruby!” Ruby pleads.“Call Weiss, she’ll recognize me!” 

Winter takes a second, more scrutinizing look at Ruby.“I suppose you do look similar to my sister’s ex-partner-“

Ruby flinches at that last term.

“-Regardless, you’re still wandering around Atlas Academy in the middle of the night.”Winter takes out her scroll.“And, since Weiss has chosen to run off on some ill-conceived plan, I cannot contact her to verify your identity.However, Atlas _is_ home to the largest databases in the world.”With a dismissive wave of her hand, Winter makes her beowulf summons disappear.Ruby drops to the floor with an oof.“Using them to find out your identity should be easy enough.Then, you _will_ tell me what you are doing here.”

Ruby stands and brushes herself off.Okay, maybe she can do this.Winter Schnee isn’t the nicest person ever, but she’s still Weiss’s sister.Plus, she’s giving Ruby a chance.That has to mean something right?Ruby starts to figure out what she’s going to say.How she’s going to _explain_.

Winter’s scroll vibrates.She frowns.Lifts the device to her ear.“Sir?”

Something drops in Ruby’s stomach.She slides one foot back.Tenses.Prepares.Winter doesn’t notice.

“Yes, sir.I see.”Winter’s frown deepens.One of her hands twitches near the bolas on her belt.

Ruby doesn’t wait.She bolts.Winter’s distraction works to her advantage.She gets away before Weiss’s sister can summon another beowulf to stop her.Ruby’s bare feet slap against the hard floor.She doesn’t care.As long as she keeps going, she’ll have to—she’ll be able to--she _can’t_ stop—

“STAY!”

Every muscle in Ruby’s body freezes against her will.She screams at them to move, move, _move._ They don’t listen.She’s approached.This time by people she doesn’t recognize at all.

“Good job, Marrow.”There’s a man, square and broad.He looks her up and down like he’s conducting an inspection.One where he’s satisfied at the results.

The other person, ‘Marrow,’ has an intense look of concentration on his face.He hums an affirmative response, but keeps his focus on Ruby.As he approaches and fully takes her in, his eyes widen.“A _kid_?” escapes his lips.His concentration slips.The force keeping Ruby immobile falters.She takes the opening and _runs_.

How did they _do_ that?Stop her like that?How did Ironwood know she was with Winter?Because he _did_ know.He _had_ to have.He called Winter and…

Misjudging the distance between the end of the hallway she’s in and the one it turns into, Ruby slips.She stumbles.She catches herself on the wall.Her ankle twists painfully.Ruby yelps, and drops to the floor.Ruby bites her bottom lip.She tries to shunt the pain to the back of her mind.She needs to—

A whirring, a low sound breaking the silence, grabs Ruby’s attention.She looks toward it, and finds an impassive security camera gazing back at her.Some distance down the hall beyond it, she sees another, and another.All of them gaze at her.

This time.This _whole_ time.They were watching her.They know where she is.They’ve always known.

Ruby’s heartbeat thunders.It threatens to break out of her rib cage.She gulps in breaths.That doesn’t calm her.Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a door.It’s a maintenance closet.Desperate to get out of the watch of the security cameras, she lunges, swings its door open, and slams it behind her.

Inside the maintenance closet, Ruby tries to think, tries to plan.Okay, they know she’s escaping.She just has to figure out a work around and then she’ll be free.She _will._

Except…

The part of Ruby that stubbornly refuses to believe any of what’s happened to her is real doesn’t want to consider the possibility that Ironwood _will_ hunt her down and drag her back if she does manage to escape.The rational part of her knows, if given the opportunity, he’ll do just that.She has silver eyes.They make her _valuable_.Enough so that Ironwood would use an attack on Beacon Academy to conceal her abduction and fake her death.

The walls of the maintenance closet close in around Ruby.There are no exits but the one door.No escape if someone reaches the other side and decides to stop.Nothing to do but wait for them to come and lock her away again.All alone.Nothing but four blank walls closing in on all sides.No one she loves to know how to get to her, or that she’s even alive.Her room here isn’t much bigger than this closet, really. 

_Focus,_ Ruby tells herself, trying to choke down her rising panic.Her heartbeat pounds in her ears.They’re going to catch her.They’re going to catch her and lock her away again and, and, and…

She needs to focus.On reaching Penny, or on at least knowing Penny will come for her.Ruby trembles.Ironwood is coming for her too.He’s probably notified Watts already.They’ll—unbidden, her mind recalls the memory of being shot by Watts’s gun.The pain of the electrified blast.Of Watts’s boots, as he kicked her for defying orders.

She needs to escape.To keep moving.To get out of here.She can’t move.Her legs are locked up.Her mind keeps circling back to how much it’s going to _hurt_.

The maintenance closet door opens.Ruby sees the pale, white uniform.She screams.She reaches for something, anything, that will make them _stop_.That will _save_ her.

From within her, magic answers Ruby.It floods out of her, cold and brittle, and shoves them, shoves everything, away.

The world disappears into a blinding white snowstorm.

It’s cold, so cold.Ruby’s fingers and toes ache with the chill.The wind whips around her, howls in her ears.She wants it to _stop._ She wants it to _never_ stop.She desperately wants to be warm and comfortable.The cold keeps _them_ from getting to her.She needs it.It’s safe.It’s protective.Within it, she won’t be hurt.

But she’s cold, so cold, and that hurts too.

Ruby closes her eyes.It’s impossible to keep them open with such heavy frost weighing her eyelashes down.She wonders if her eyelids will freeze close.She wants to worry about that, but she’s worried about so many things already.They all feel so _heavy_.

A presence bursts into Ruby’s mind, sharp and jagged.Not painful, though.She gasps, inhaling frigid air.Ruby coughs.She hears the crunch of footsteps in the snow beneath her.She wants to shy away.She can’t move.She has to stay here or the storm will cease and _they_ will reach her and…

A hand wraps itself around her non-injured ankle.It radiates the warmth Ruby craves.She feels herself lowering toward it.A part of her cries out, in fear of the danger.She forces her eyelids back open so she can see them, and they can look upon the fire than marks _her_ as dangerous too.

Ruby sees the steady, green eyes gazing up at her.All her panic melts away.She remembers.The magic she wields, she _shares_.The only one who could have made it through the wind and the ice and the snow to her is the sole other who the magic listens to.Penny.

“Are you alright?”Penny asks in a soft voice.

Not knowing how to answer, Ruby descends to be level with Penny.She feels herself trembling, and not from the cold this time.

Penny reaches out.Her hand hesitates partway to Ruby.They both stare at it.One uncertain that it’s wanted, that it’s the right move.The other, aching for its warmth.Then, Ruby can’t take it anymore.She closes the distance between them and half falls onto Penny, who catches on quickly and embraces her.

“It’s okay,” Penny whispers in Ruby’s ear.“I’m here for you.I won’t let anything bad happen to you anymore.”

Ruby presses herself against Penny, who tightly wraps her arms around Ruby in return.Ruby feels the kiss on top of her head when Penny plants it there.She lets herself relax for the first time in…a very long time.She allows herself to be gathered up into Penny’s arms.Ruby hears Penny whisper she’s come so far on her own, let her carry her the rest of the way.

Leaning against Penny’s chest, feeling the strength of her robotic arms unyieldingly sheltering her, Ruby gives in to her exhaustion.Her eyelids flutter close.Naturally, this time.She starts to fade out of consciousness.

Ruby doesn’t notice so much when Penny starts to fly, or when Penny shudders like she’s been hit by something or, soon after, still holding Ruby close, she begins to fall.

Ruby knows, she _trusts_ , she’s finally safe.

* * *

May Marigold shoulders the coffeeshop door open, stepping out of the warm, bustling interior to the darkened, chilly night.She pauses, casting her gaze about the quiet street, but nothing jumps out of the shadows.May holds back a yawn, debates whether or not she can successfully wiggle her coffee out of the carrier without spilling the others, and decides against trying.It’ll have to wait until she gets back to their new campaign headquarters.It’s not the longest walk.

Thinking of Robyn’s campaign for the Mantle council seat brings a small smile to May’s lips.She’s more than aware of the low odds of their success.She knows fantasizing about a future where Robyn has already won the seat, a future where they can get up to Atlas and enact _real_ change for Mantle is a bit… _idealistic._ Best case scenario and all that.

They have a long way to go.A lot of work to do.The election itself isn’t for months.They’re still in the preparatory stage of campaigning.

It’s just, it’s _nice_ , to think about it, alright?

May has wanted true, genuine reform in their kingdom for longer than she’s been a Happy Huntress, if she’s being completely honest with herself.Even if she hadn’t exactly been honest with herself on what she believed _back then_.There had been…a lot of things she had to learn to be honest with herself about.A lot of things she had to stop burying deep, deep down where no one could see.

May makes herself inhale and then exhale the breath slowly.She’s moved past all that.She’s in a better place.She’s _loved_.Her eyes wander up to Atlas’s bulk.An old, familiar discomfort twists in her stomach.She doesn’t regret leaving, will _never_ regret leaving.There’s just a small part of her that still wishes _they_ could have chosen loving her too.

Right as May is turning her attention away from Atlas, she sees a green flash out of the corner of her eye.She does a double take.The flash, a bright spark in the sky increasing in size every second, arcs and plummets directly for Mantle.

May drops the coffees.Her scroll is out of her pocket.She’s calling Robyn and the others, hastily telling them there’s a situation before she can think the action through.Airships burst from Atlas like wasps from a nest.They pursue the falling spark.May breaks into a run.She keeps her gaze tracked on the spark, on the airships chasing it.Considering the spark’s speed, there’ll be a few minutes between its crashdown and the ships arriving at the site.Not a lot of time, but, if she’s fast enough she can get there in time to assess the situation before the Atlesian Military fully takes control.

She’s the next street over when the impact hits.May feels the ground beneath her feet shudder.She stops, waiting for the shockwave to subside.Only when she feels firm in her balance again, does May advance around the corner to investigate whatever has crashed.

Nothing’s smoking.There’s no fire.May scans for other damage.It looks like the projectile nicked one of the buildings across the street on the way down, but structurally it remains sound.There’s not much else.Just a scattering of bricks and debris.May follows the trail of minimal damage to the impact crater.It’s almost like whatever it is, it purposefully tried to cause the least amount of harm on the way down.

May looks down into the crater.Her mouth drops open.Wobbling to her feet at the crater’s bottom is a girl.She can’t be more than what?Fifteen?Sixteen?She’s tall.Her clothes are tattered, like _she_ was the projectile that fell from the sky.Except that doesn’t make any _sense_.A person can’t survive falling off Atlas down to Mantle.Not without being severely injured.

The girl turns, examining her surroundings.Her eyes shine a bright, luminescent green.A shiver at the unnaturalness of it all runs up May’s spine when their gazes meet.

An airship engine roars overhead.The girl jerks her head in its direction.Fear writes itself all over her face.

May snaps back to attention.However weird this may be, she’s still a Huntress.Whoever this girl is, she needs help.May starts down the side of the crater.The girl sees her movement, abruptly turns, stumbles (because one of her legs appears to be stuck at an odd angle), but takes up a defensive stance against May regardless.

“I’m here to help!”May calls over, holding up her hands at her sides.“I mean you no harm.”

The girl clenches her fists.“You are NOT taking us back to Atlas!”She yells back.

May can’t help but snort.“Trust me, kid, going there is the last thing I’d ever do.”She advances a step.“I don’t want to rush you, but those guys?”May jabs her thumb in the direction of the sky.“They won’t hesitate in packing you up and carting you off to Ironwood.So, you either accept _my_ help or wait for them to arrive.”

Internally, May cringes.That was probably a bit too harsh for negotiating, but time is short and she really doesn’t want to wait around for the Atlesian cavalry to arrive.Either the kid’s going to accept her help or not.May doesn’t have time to think of the exact right, flowery words to convince her.Not that that ever really was a skill of hers when she did have ample time anyway.May prefers cutting through the nonsense and getting to the point.It’s quicker, easier, and she doesn’t end up rolling her eyes as much.

The girl looks up at the sky, and then back at May, who can almost see the calculations running behind her eyes.The girl’s shoulder’s slump.“Alright, but only if you _promise_ you won’t try to take her back to Atlas.”

It’s at this point May realizes the girl is standing in front of something— _someone_ —protectively.Shit.How’d she miss that?She tries not to show her surprise as she approaches.“I promise.Atlas and I, let’s just say we don’t get along.”

The girl studies May a moment longer.“Okay.”Seemingly satisfied, she turns partially away from May to the person she’s guarding.Another girl, smaller and with dark hair, same age as her or maybe a little younger.The first girl, who May dubs Redhead to distinguish them from each other, crouches down and cradles her in her arms.

“Is she—are you—hurt?”May lands on asking, “what injuries are there?”

“I’m operational, but Ruby has two broken ribs, a twisted ankle, and a sprained wrist.She needs a doctor.”

Trying not to react to how oddly specific Redhead phrased her answer, May replies, “I know a place.”Dr. Polendina’s pharmacy is too far away, but Maria’s house isn’t.The latter option isn’t exactly a doctor and doesn’t have the medical training of the former, but her door has always been open to May and the girls when they needed a quick, safe place to crash after a mission gone wrong.That, and as a former Huntress herself, Maria knows a thing or two about patching people up.

Redhead stands up and faces May, ‘Ruby’ held gently in her arms.May’s eyes widen.The smaller girl isn’t wearing anything but _hospital scrubs_.No coat, scarf, or hell even _socks_.She’s barefoot.Outside.In Mantle.In Solitas.Most likely without active aura.

May shrugs her own coat off, reaches over, and wraps it around Ruby as best she can with having such limited access to her.Redhead catches on to what she’s doing and helps.

“Ready to go?”May half-asks, half-orders when they have the unconscious girl bundled up as best they can.Redhead nods.May activates her semblance.They escape under its cover as Atlas Military personnel finally show up at the scene.


	12. Someplace Safe

_Decades ago,_

“E.P.X.C.”Maria pauses and squints.She hears her prosthetics squeak a little as they respond to the command.“M.O.Y.Q…” she continues reading out the letter chart Pietro’s holding out in front of her.

“Very good.”Pietro scribbles a few notes on his clipboard.“Vision is working perfectly.Though, I don’t like the sound they made just now.Can you open and close them a few times?”Maria does as he asks.The squeak returns.Pietro retrieves a screwdriver, makes a few tweaks to Maria’s prosthetics, and then the sound is gone.“Ah, that’s better.”

“Mhmm.”Maria makes a noncommittal noise.“I’m not one to complain, but how are things coming with making my ‘sight’ less blue?”Sure, it’s been a _while_ (she’s lived almost as long with her cybernetic optical implants now as she did before needing them), but she hasn’t exactly given up on the possibility of one day being able to see the world again through a non-blue tint.

Pietro sighs.“Sorry, Maria, but I’m afraid, just like I said last time, not much can be done there.Your implants function on hard light Dust.Though some experimentation has been done to change its color, it…” he pauses, considers his next words, “is widely considered too risky to do so with any regularity.”

“Yeah, yeah.”Maria bites back her sigh.“Thank you, genuinely, for all you’ve done.See you in another ten years?”

“I’ll pencil it in my calendar.”Pietro offers her a smile.Before Maria can fully make her way out of the pharmacy, he calls after her, “Don’t be a stranger!Come visit sometime before your next checkup.”

“Sure.”Maria walks out the door.It’s not that she doesn’t _like_ Pietro.He’s kind, and goodhearted, and gave her her sight back when most other specialists only offered expensive procedures she couldn’t hope to afford.She just, she doesn’t like being _reminded_ of some things, alright?Visiting him brings back memories she’s rather not think about.

Outside, Maria only has a second (thanks to her semblance), to dodge, before a blur rushes past her and ducks down a nearby alleyway.

“Stop!Thief!”Comes the cry of shopkeeper after the blur.The man hurries down the street.He stops, gasping for breath, in front of Maria.“You see where that little menace went?”He asks her.

Maria does, in fact, have a pretty good line of sight into the alleyway where the blur, a young girl with messy, pale hair, is in the process of tearing chunks out of a steaming, fresh loaf of bread and passing them out to a gaggle of grubby-looking kids, some Faunus, some human.Maria notes the store name on the shopkeeper’s apron, recalls that particular chain’s anti-Faunus leanings, shrugs, and shifts her weight ever so subtly to block the alley from view.

“Sorry, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be,” Maria tells the man, who mutters darkly to himself and stomps back the way he came.

* * *

Ten years later, the same girl (though it will be some time before Maria puts two and two together and realizes they’re the same person) stands waiting for Maria as she leaves Pietro’s pharmacy.The girl juts her chin out stubbornly when she sees Maria.“You’re a huntress,”she says,“I’m gonna be one.That means you gotta teach me.”

Maria sighs.“No.It doesn’t.”She sidesteps around the kid, and heads off in the direction of the airport.Frustratingly, the girl trots along beside her.“Enroll at an academy when you’re old enough if you’re so eager,” Maria adds in hopes it will shake the girl off.It doesn’t.

“Oh, I will,” the girl replies.“But I’m _not_ old enough yet and…” she trails off.“I’m not like those fancy Atlesian kids whose parents can get them into combat schools,” she mutters with a scowl, turning away from Maria.Before Maria can answer _that_ , however, the girl gets rid of the expression and goes on, “And when I asked Dr. Polendina about huntresses, he mentioned that you’re a really, really good one.So you gotta teach me.”

“ _Was_ a good one,” Maria automatically corrects.She groans.Sighs.Looks the girl up and down.Going by her scruffy appearance, the kid definitely spends a lot of time on the street.She hasn’t properly learned how to use her aura either, if the unhealed bruising under one eye is anything to go by.Maria sighs again.

“If I give you a few pointers, will you leave me alone?”

The girl nods vigorously.

Maria usually departs the kingdom immediately after her checkup with Pietro.This time, she ends up sticking around for a while.She is _not,_ as she has reiterated many, _many_ times, the girl’s, whose name she learns is Robyn, official teacher in any capacity.It just goes against her moral code to leave before she’s certain Robyn can handle herself.

If that involves finding a longterm rental in one of the safest areas of Mantle, well, it’ll be good, Maria tells herself, to not have to deal with potentially booking hotels every time she visits.The fact that she can be confident that Robyn will have a roof over her head and a warm bed if she has the need for them while Maria is away is just a bonus, really.

(Robyn has relatives, or so she claims, who she lives with, but Maria gets the impression they aren’t exactly _present_ in the young, huntress-to-be’s life.)

(Also, for the first time ever, Maria ends up visiting Pietro before their regular appointment, in order to ask him to keep an eye on Robyn when she’s not around, which, apparently, is something he’s been doing for years already anyway.)

(Though, she’s determined _not_ to stay in Mantle, because she, Maria Calavera, doesn’t stay _anywhere_ for long, Maria does make a point of visiting the city more regularly during the next decade.She avoids going to see Pietro, of course, but she always makes sure Robyn is doing alright).

* * *

“You sure you have to leave again so soon?” Robyn, now a second year student at Atlas Academy hovers by the doorway of Maria’s rental.“I’ll mi—you know you don’t have to go, right?”

“I do.”Maria moves from room to room, gathering up her belongings, taking them back to her room, and shoving them in her suitcase.“You know me.Never been one to stay in one place for very long.”She stops in the main room where Robyn is.“I thought you’d like having this place all to yourself during your school break?No adult around to tell you not to throw wild parties.”

“When have I ever thrown a wild party—”

Maria opens her mouth.

“—that doesn’t double as a planning meeting for when me and the girls graduate and are officially huntresses of Mantle?”Robyn finishes before Maria can speak.“And we only got wild _that_ time because Fiona doesn’t know when to back down from a challenge.”

Maria throws up her hands.“Fine.”

“There’s nothing I can say that’ll change your mind?”Robyn asks in a quieter, somber tone.

“No.”Maria repeats the answer she always gives, though her heart really isn’t in it this time.

She cares for Robyn, yes.Is proud of who Robyn’s grown up to become, even if she herself has no right to be.It’s simply that, well, Maria let _one_ injury define her, change the course of her life, for _years_.Robyn has a bright future ahead of her.The last thing she needs is _Maria_ around as a role model.

“I’ll miss you,” Robyn offers as a goodbye as Maria walks out the door.

“I’ll miss you too,” Maria replies after it’s shut.

She heads off toward the airport.

* * *

_Present Day,_

The rain goes from a steady drizzle to a downpour by the time they reach the house.Penny doesn’t pause to do a full scan of the building like she intended.Getting Ruby out of the cold is far more important.If there’s a threat, she’ll have to address it as it comes.Not ideal, but Penny’s good at adapting.

In one fluid movement, the Huntress who’d found them where they crashed shoves the house’s door open with her shoulder, drops her semblance, and barges her way inside.Reflexively, Penny winces at just how _rude_ their entry is, but she hurries in after the Huntress regardless.

A warm, snug, little kitchen waits for them on the other side.As does an older woman wielding a frying pan like a bat.The lenses of her eye prosthetics open all the way when she sees them.“ _May_?”She splutters, lowering the pan.“What on Remnant is going on?”

“Long story.”The Huntress, May, collapses down in a chair at the kitchen table.She gestures with one hand to Penny, still holding Ruby tightly in her arms.“Needed a safe place.”May closes her eyes, rubs her temples, and mutters something about overtaxing her semblance.

The older woman rounds on Penny, who stiffens. Panic comes over her.She shouldn’t have followed May.She can’t trust that May hasn’t just led her into a _trap_.How could she have been so foolish?

“It’s alright.”The older woman reaches a hand out toward Ruby.“I—”

Penny flinches back.She clutches Ruby to herself, keeping her out of reach.She can’t let anything else bad happen to her friend.She already waited too long to do anything and Ruby had been hurt worse than she would have been if Penny had just acted _sooner_.

Without advancing on Penny further, the older woman cautiously says, “Your friend isn’t in good shape.We can help her.”She pauses.“You trusted May enough to come all the way here with her, yes?”She waits for Penny to nod in response.“Don’t you think you should be able to trust me too, then?”

“I…”

There’s no indication, like a raised heartbeat or a change in tone, to indicate the woman is lying to her.But, Penny doesn’t know all the tells in existence.Maybe this woman has ones she’s not aware of? 

Penny looks down at Ruby.She frowns, and listens to the continuous patter of the rain against the windows.She can’t just go back outside either.Even if it weren’t for the weather conditions or the military’s pursuit of them, Ruby _is_ in bad shape and, at some point, Penny is going to have to stop ignoring all the critical alerts her systems have been sending her too.

All things considered, the best strategy would be to hide out somewhere for a while.She’s already risked trusting May.That hasn’t ended badly (yet).Staying here is (currently) the best option.

Penny looks back to the woman.She opens her mouth, but whatever sentences she’d managed to put together in her mind, they vanish before her lips can get them out.She gulps.

The woman takes her inability to speak in stride.“I have a fire going in the other room.”She gestures to a doorway leading further into the house.“You can warm up in there.While you do,I’m sure I can find something more comfortable for you to wear around here somewhere.May will go fetch a doctor.”Before Penny can interrupt, the woman adds, “a _discreet_ doctor.”

“At least let me drink a cup of coffee first,” May mutters.She looks at the woman.“Sieben?”She holds up her scroll.“Fi says there’s a lot of military activity around Polendina’s pharmacy.”

Penny does her best to keep her wince an internal expression.It’s not that she doesn't _care_ about her father.She just…she hadn’t really _planned._ She hadn’t wanted him to _worry_.She figured she’d be able to tell him everything _after_. 

She hopes Dad is alright.

“If you can get ahold of Klein,” the woman is saying back to May.“But, he may be hard to reach.”

“I have my ways.”With a grunt, May pushes herself up.She walks over to a coffeepot on the counter, pours some into a mug, drinks it, gets a thermos out of a cupboard, pours more coffee into that, takes a sip, and then heads toward the door.

May takes a fresh coat off a hook, puts it on, and then turns back to Penny.“Don’t worry.You’ll be safe here with Maria.We’ll make sure of it.”Then, in the blink of an eye, she disappears into the night.

“Come along then.”Maria motions for Penny to follow her through the doorway she gestured to earlier.

Careful to not jostle Ruby, Penny follows.They enter a cozy-looking room with a thick rug Penny’s feet sink deeply into and a crackling fire in the hearth.Situated near the fire is a soft-looking, if a bit tattered, sofa.Penny makes her way over to it.Maria goes off to find them blankets and clean clothes.

As Penny gently places her down upon the cushion closest to the hearth, Ruby stirs.Blearily, she opens her eyes.Ruby inhales sharply.Scrambles to her feet.Cries out when she puts weight on her bad ankle.

Penny catches Ruby before she falls.“It’s okay.You’re okay,” she hurries to tell her.“ _I got you._ ”

“Penny?I—where?”Ruby struggles between breathing and getting words out.“Are we safe?”

“We’re…” Penny trails off.She doesn’t know how to answer the question.By all appearances, they _should_ be safe with May and Maria.The women _seem_ kindly, or, at least, nice enough.They’ve given no reason for Penny to suspect them of anything.But…

She had no reason not to trust Ironwood or the AceOps before _all this_ , either.She’d trusted them _implicitly_ , even.Now?Sure, there has been no overt statement that things are different.Penny can return up to Atlas if she chooses to.It doesn’t _feel_ like she can’t return.She hasn’t done anything wrong.She hasn’t broken any laws.She _should_ be able to go back to Atlas.

That had been what she was going to do, hadn’t it?Get Ruby out of immediate harm’s way, and then go back and talk to Ironwood.Make him _understand_ what he was doing to Ruby wasn’t right.Surely, he’d see that it wasn’t a good way to go about things, that he needed a new strategy.Ironwood just wanted to protect _everyone_ , so he’d lost sight of the harm his actions did to a single soul.Penny just had to _remind_ him.Right?Right.

He’d shot her.

When she’d gathered Ruby up and flown her away from the cylinder of ice her panicked snowstorm created, Ironwood had been on the outside.His eyes met Penny’s.She’d opened her mouth to speak.He’d raised his gun.Ironwood had seen all her blueprints.He knew where her vulnerabilities where.

He’d shot Penny’s foot to compromise her rocket.He’d made her fall.Plummet.

He’d treated her like an enemy combatant.

If she can’t trust those she’d _always_ been able to have faith in, how can she possibly trust people she’s only just met?

Penny finally brings herself to look at Ruby.She appears far past exhausted, but she holds herself tense and ready.Prepared, if they need to go.Ruby can’t keep pushing herself, though.Penny may not know _much_ about being human, but she does know quite a bit about the physical limitations of the organic body (when you’re constantly aware you’re significantly stronger than the average flesh-and-blood person, you tend to learn a lot about that sort of thing, as to not break them when interacting).Ruby needs _rest_.

She needs Penny to tell her she can rest.

Careful to keep her tumultuous thoughts off her external facial expression, Penny wraps her arms tightly around Ruby.“We can stay here,” Penny whispers to her.

“Okay.”Ruby smiles softly back.Something twinges in Penny at the show of trust. 

Is this really the right decision?She’s putting Ruby in an even more vulnerable position.What if they _do_ need to leave without warning?What then? 

But Ruby is _tired_ , and needs to _sleep_.Penny’s ability to judge character and decide who she can trust may be faulty, but she can still set priorities.Right now, her Top Priority is caring for Ruby.Tenderly, Penny guides Ruby down onto the sofa and sits beside her.She draws Ruby in close, and increases her body temperature incrementally, until it’s at a heat level that can comfortably warm Ruby up.

Once Ruby is settled, Penny closes her eyes, with the intent to start recharging some of her own power.

* * *

Penny comes out of sleep mode to a barrage of update notifications in her head.Before she can consider anything else, she has to sort through them.While she was out, her internal maintenance and repairs system had gotten to work reconfiguring everything that had been knocked out of alignment during the fall from Atlas.As of now, internally, she’s returned to standard operating levels.Though, her battery charge remains low enough that plugging in to a power source is advisable, but not absolutely necessary.

There’s still the issue of her left leg too.Penny looks down at it and frowns.The damage to her rocket thruster luckily hadn’t compromised her ability to walk.Flying, though, is out of the question for the foreseeable future.The thruster hasn’t responded to any of the signals Penny has sent to it.If she had access to her father’s lab, she’d be able to replace the dysfunctional parts, but, again, well, that would mean returning to Atlas.

Penny starts a new query on workarounds to fix the issue without access to Atlesian resources, assigns some of her mental capacity to run through trials of potential solutions, and then places the entire inquiry in the background of her conscious computing efforts.

Once that’s done, she turns her attention to Ruby, who’s resting peacefully while propped up against her.While she was in sleep mode, someone came and laid a blanket across them.Penny pushes it off her, but takes care to ensure the blanket remains on Ruby.Then, she quietly scans Ruby for internal injuries she may have missed in earlier scans.There’s nothing new, although the faded bruises Penny can see on Ruby’s shoulder where her tattered scrubs shirt slipped off are _alarming_.It’s as if someone had grabbed and shoved her _hard_ , but who, or why?Dr. Watts was the only one who had access to her in Atlas and he…he _wouldn’t_.Would he?

Penny hadn’t liked Watts all that much before.Now, she quietly decides, she doesn’t like him at all.

Ignoring the discomfort twisting inside her— _she should have realized something was wrong sooner.Even if she had no reason to suspect anything before learning Ruby was alive, how could she call herself Ruby’s friend while she did nothing while she was being hurt?—_ Penny rouses Ruby.

“Penny, whaaa…” Ruby’s hoarse voice drifts into a yawn that morphs into a whimpered cough.

Grimacing, Penny conceals her wince.She should just let Ruby continue to sleep, but the layer of dirt and grime she’s under will agitate and infect the cuts and bruises she picked up during the escape if left for much longer.They should be tended to, even before the doctor May was sent to fetch arrives.

(Not that Penny doesn’t trust medical professionals, but she’d prefer to tend to Ruby as much as possible herself rather than let someone else too close to her.)

Murmuring reassurances, Penny carries Ruby back into the now empty kitchen.She gently places Ruby down in one of the chairs at the table, and searches through cupboards until she finds a bowl and a wash rag, which she takes over to the sink.

Penny turns the knob that controls the water.She braces herself, and then holds a hand under the running water, to check its temperature.Water _will_ damage her, but a brief, controlled interaction like this won’t do much.Penny frowns at the water’s freezing cold temperature.She wraps a hand around the faucet and calls upon the maiden powers to heat it until it's a comfortably warm temperature.

Satisfied, Penny holds the shallow bowl in the sink until it’s almost filled to the brim.She lifts the wash rag off the countertop.Careful to not drop either, Penny takes them to the table and puts them down next to Ruby.Then, she sits herself.

“Ruby?”Penny asks hesitantly.Ruby is, as far as she can tell, still conscious, but she’s staring off into space in such a way that it’s likely she’s not really focusing on anything at all.

Ruby slowly blinks.“…yeah?”

Penny lifts the wash rag up into Ruby’s line of sight.“I’m going to get you cleaned up now, okay?”

“…okay.”

Penny nods, dampens the rag in the bowl of water, and then gently dabs away the dirt smudges on Ruby’s face.She works slowly, tentatively, and asks Ruby permission before moving on to cleaning a new part of her.

A few minutes after Penny is finishing up and beginning to wonder how exactly to start working the knots and tangles out of Ruby’s hair, the door opens.Penny tenses.

Maria enters the room.“Ah, there you are.”She holds up a pile of neatly folded clean clothes.“The best I could find from when Robyn and the girls were about your age.”She laughs.“Can’t believe I still have them if I’m being honest, but I suppose these sorts of things do build up if you’re not careful.”

Penny stares at her.“Thank you.”She stands to take the clothes from Maria.Rather than taking Ruby back through to the other room to change, Penny gives Maria a pointed, meaningful look to get her to leave the room, and then helps Ruby into the fresh clothes when Maria does.

Not long after, May returns with a well-to-do looking man.Penny tenses again at their entry.

“This is Klein Sieben,” May introduces her companion to Penny.“He’s here to look over your friend.”

Klein steps forward with hands clasped in front of him.“Perhaps we may conduct ourselves somewhere a little more private?”He turns from Penny to Ruby and back again.

Penny stiffens.She scans his face for signs of deception, or ulterior motive.

“I assure you,” Klein goes on, catching Penny’s gaze and maintaining steady eye contact with her.“I mean no harm.I only thought your friend would like to have a medical examination somewhere a little less public.”

Still frowning, Penny glances at Ruby.While she’s making her assessment of whether or not the proposition would be the best thing for Ruby, Ruby herself nods slightly at Klein.

“I’ve prepared bedrooms upstairs!” Maria calls from somewhere further in the house.“You can use one of them.”

Ruby moves to stand and walk on her own, but Penny scoops her back up into her arms before she can make it very far.Penny can sense the protest rising in Ruby’s head, and also her decision not to articulate it in front of everyone else.She doesn’t respond, but tries to communicate as clearly as possible, through their telepathic link, that she _will_ take care of Ruby.

After completing a scan of the upstairs, entering one of the bedrooms, and setting Ruby down on the bed within, Penny steps back to allow Klein the chance to approach his patient.She hovers just behind his shoulder, giving him enough space to work, but remaining close enough that, if he does something she doesn’t like, she can rush in and prevent him from taking further action.

If he notices, which he likely does (Penny isn’t exactly being discreet.She doesn’t really have what it takes to come across as ‘threatening’, either, but she can muster enough of a presence to give just about anyone pause), Klein doesn’t show it.He sets up his small medical kit on the bedside table, and then addresses Ruby, “May I ask your name, my dear?”

“ _Why_?”Penny feels the question forming in Ruby’s head and practically orders Klein to answer before Ruby can ask herself.She notices an expression caught between relieved and irritated flash across Ruby’s face for a second.

“Just something to call her,” Klein replies smoothly.“I’ve found my bedside manner is improved greatly by the ability to address patients by their name.

“Ruby,” Ruby hoarsely whispers before Penny can speak for her again.

“Oh.Ah.Hmm.”Klein’s brow wrinkles.He opens his mouth to say something else.Penny grabs him by the shoulder and hauls him back, away from Ruby, before he can.He _looks_ Atlesian.Maybe he was employed by Watts and had something to do with… _all that_?She let him _near_ Ruby, and he _means_ harm, and, and, and…

“Explain yourself,” she commands him.

The irises of Klein’s eyes flick to being red.He takes a breath in and exhales it, and then they’re back to their usual brown.“I am acquainted with one Weiss Schnee,” he starts slowly, articulating every word with great care.“In the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon, she confided in me about the death of a close friend who she lost at the event and was mourning.”He turns to speak directly to Ruby.“I thought _something_ felt familiar when I saw you, though I could not place it until now.Your hair is quite distinctive, young lady, as is the color of your eyes.Honestly speaking, the only other person I know of who would fit your precise description is Ms. Schnee’s dearly departed friend.I didn’t want to assume, of course, but now, learning you have the same name as her, would I be correct in surmising you are one Ruby Rose?”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Is…” Ruby speaks softly.“Can you reach Weiss?”For the first time in who knows how long, she sounds tentatively hopeful.

“I…no.”Klein’s eyes turn downcast.“I’m afraid to say, Weiss and her team partner from Atlas Academy left the kingdom some time ago.”

“Oh.”Ruby appears to crumple in on herself.“Right.”Her voice breaks when she quietly adds, “her Atlas partner?”

“As far as I’m aware, the partner she was assigned when she enrolled at Atlas Academy.I’m afraid I don’t know much more than that.Staying in contact with her was difficult once she left the manor.I’m sorry.”

Ruby says nothing in reply.She wraps her arms around herself.

Penny goes back to hovering in Klein’s personal space, to impress upon him the urgency to do what he needs to as efficiently as possible, and then _go._

When the medical exam is finished, Penny follows Klein out the door.In the hallway, before she can get a word in, he holds up a hand, indicating for her to let him speak.

“I cannot say I know what’s going on, or why someone I had every reason to believe is dead is not,” he starts.“However, I give you my word, I will not tell anyone of either of you, or where to find you.You can trust in me.”

Penny isn’t so sure about that, but, again, she doesn’t have many options to work with right now.“You won’t tell them,” she nods her head in the direction of the stairs leading back down to where Maria and May assumedly are, “who Ruby is?”

“Not without her consent.”Klein pauses.“Though I would implore you to consider extending your trust to them.They are good people.”

Penny hums a noncommittal answer and gestures for him to go.Once he’s walked down the stairs, she ducks back into Ruby’s room.

Ruby has started to drift off, the pain meds they’d given her finally starting to take their effect. Penny pulls the bed’s duvet up to just under Ruby’s chin.She smooths out any wrinkles in the blanket.Only when she’s sure Ruby is truly comfortable and warm, does she stand back up.Ruby gazes up at her.Her sleepy, silver eyes glint in the small amount of light leaking in from the ajar doorway.Ruby offers a tentative, sad smile.Then her tiredness carries her away into a peaceful sleep.

For a moment, Penny stands there.She watches the easy rise and fall of Ruby’s chest with each breath she takes.She waits, but nothing, no whimper or cough, interrupts Ruby’s rest.Penny does one final security sweep of the room.Then, she walks out, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

Penny enters the room Maria told her is hers, but she doubts she’ll be spending much time in.Leaving Ruby on her own for extended periods just doesn’t feel right.Though, what she needs to do now is far too noisy to consider doing where Ruby is sleeping.

Penny places Floating Array’s crumpled backpack down on the nicely made bed.No matter how she looks at it, her weapon’s condition is critical.The backpack can endure a significant amount of damage, yes, but it took the brunt of the force of her and Ruby’s crash landing.

Sighing, Penny pries the backpack open.She cringes at the screeching sound the dented metal makes in protest.At first glance, the blades themselves seem to have sustained minimal damage.Gently, Penny reaches in, wraps, her fingers around one, and pulls it toward herself.The sword doesn’t budge.It’s as she expected.The wiring mechanism connecting the blades to the backpack is completely jammed.

Sinking down on the bed herself, Penny begins the slow process of disconnecting each sword from the backpack’s jumbled wiring, manually removing it, and inspecting its condition.Going by appearances, they all seem fine.But, only a few successfully unfold when she sends them the command signal.Of the six that don’t, two manage to get partly open, three twitch jerkily, and one, with a hairline fracture across its hilt, doesn’t respond at all.

Penny chews on her bottom lip.Floating Array has never taken this much damage before.Not even when—the wiring had gone haywire due to the force of Pyrrha’s semblance, yes, but the integrity of the weapons system as a whole had remained intact—if she was up in Atlas, she could…

_I’m not_ , Penny reminds herself. _I’m not going to be for a while_.She has to figure something else out.She scans her swords.As Floating Array, the weapons system may no longer be operational, but she can reconstruct its blades into something else.

Penny plugs herself into the portable backup generator Maria provided her.She settles in to work through the night.If she’s going to protect Ruby, she’ll need a functioning weapon.As soon as possible.

* * *

_Many years ago,_

Maria finds a bench across from the display showing the different flights leaving Atlas and sits down.She hasn’t decided where she wants to go yet, but she never really plans these things out ahead of time.In her youth, she always preferred wandering, going wherever she may please and doing whatever she can as a Huntress.

Not that she does much of _that_ anymore, if she’s being honest with herself.Not since the loss of her eyes.Even after adjusting to the implants, Maria found herself shying away from the riskier missions.The few jobs she’s taken here and there have tended to be the quieter ones, always close to the kingdoms or large towns.

Maria survived dragging herself back to civilization those first painful days after her eyes were slashed out, yes, but the memory of how _horrible_ it was never left her.She hates admitting it to herself, but she knows that that trauma is the root of her hesitation.The idea of being hurt like that again, of going into a fight without the edge her silver eyes gave her.

She just…she _wants_ to be able to do it.She’s never stopped _wanting_ that.But, she can’t.Every time.Every time she gets close to taking one of those more dangerous missions or leaving the relative security of the area surrounding a large settlement, Maria finds herself stopping and turning back.

It’s not like it matters very much these days, regardless.The ‘Grimm Reaper’ has faded into legend.A figure talked about in awe who Maria doesn’t recognize when she hears the various stories told about them.Some of the tales remain based in truth, but people have taken creative liberties with the vast majority of them.The Grimm Reaper isn’t really hers anymore.Not in any way that matters.

Maria sighs, leans her head back, and closes her prosthetics, so her artificial sight goes away.What does it matter where she goes?She’s not going to be doing anything of importance, anything that _matters_.She frowns.Giving up really isn’t her thing either.She’s _survived_ this long because she’s _chosen_ to.Maria isn’t going to just sit around waiting for the actual reaper.She can at least declare _that_ with certainty.

So, _what are you going to do now?_ A voice reminiscent of her father’s whispers in the back of Maria’s head in a challenging tone.Despite the decades, she can still picture him smirking at her from across the training yard after successfully blocking her attack. _What next, Maria?How are you going to take me down?_

_If I tell you,_ Maria mentally retorts, equally as stubbornly as her younger self would, _it wouldn’t be much fun would it?_

Maria opens her eyes again.The lenses jutter a bit, but don’t jam.She exhales a long breath.She’s not the Huntress she once was.Perhaps it’s time she fully embrace that fact.Whatever chance she had to be a wandering do-gooder, it’s long passed.

Except, she’s realizing now, that doesn’t have to mean she can’t do good in the world in a _different_ way.

Maria stands, swallows down her fears and insecurities, walks out of the airport, and heads back to her rental.

When Maria reaches the apartment and flicks on the light, she, unsurprisingly finds Robyn sprawled across her couch, asleep.Maria nudges her awake.

“Wha…Maria?Thought you…left?”Robyn yawns.

“I did.”Maria pauses.“And now I’m back.”

Robyn sits up, runs a hand through her tangled hair, failing to tame it, and examines herself, “Unless there’s something weird happening, I haven’t aged a decade, so…?”

“I decided to stay,” Maria admits with a grumble.“It’s only been an hour or so.Come on.”She prods Robyn again.“We can probably get a couple training bouts in before the end of the day.”

A familiar sort of eager expression eclipses Robyn’s face.She’s up in an instant.“Can we start now?”

In the end, Maria purchases a comfortable house in Mantle, with enough backyard space to be easily converted into a training yard.She makes copies of her keys, first one for Robyn, and then one for each of her academy friends.When May Marigold needs someplace safe to lay low after breaking ties with her family, Maria doesn’t think twice about letting her stay for however long she needs.Maria gives the girls combat pointers, tips, tells them the _true_ versions of her younger self’s exploits (with only a few embellishments, for flavor).

She still locks her old Grimm Reaper gear; her kamas, her mask, the last hooded cloak she wore, though its maroon color never did feel quite right to her, in a trunk she stores in the attic.That chapter of her life may be over, but Maria likes keeping the pieces of it nearby.Who knows when they’ll be needed again?

After doing so, Maria stands, wipes her hands off, regards the trunk with a soft, nostalgic smile, and walks down the creaky stairs.

“So, Robyn,” Maria challenges the recently academy-graduated Huntress standing across the training yard from her.“How are you going to take me down?”She grins as she deflects Robyn’s attack.

And so, many years later, when, late one night, May barges into Maria’s home with two battered-looking, academy-age girls in tow, Maria can’t say she’s all too surprised.She lets the girls settle in on their own, thinking it best to give them a little space until they recognize they’re in a calm, safe environment, and sets about making various preparations for their stay.

The surprise comes a little later, while Maria is walking through the hall outside the room she’d given Ruby.Without meaning to, Maria overhears a murmured conversation between the girls.In that moment, Maria learns Ruby’s sensitivity regarding her eyes is probably due to their silver color.

Well then, Maria thinks to herself.It’s about time things get interesting again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: in writing this chapter, I have, in fact, managed to convince myself to pin the idea of a backstory fic where a jaded Maria does (very slowly) become Robyn Hill's mentor as Robyn grows up for a later time when I'll get the chance to write it.


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